Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
We can ship to EU & other Worldwide Countries. Delivery prices calculate in the checkout when you add delivery country & postcode.
Champagnes or wines shipped outside of the UK are VAT exempt, shipping prices include both shipping price and your Country import taxes & duties, DDP, Delivered Duty Paid.
The checkout will indicate shipping days once destination address is completed.
Advanced checkout allows you to choose multi person deliveries at one address or at different addresses,
we can upload large multi orders from this spreadsheet template
Order 6+ bottles or £250+ and standard delivery is free to one delivery address. Cases can be mixed.
Bought directly from Bollinger through their UK agent Mentzendorff, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Bottles Available:
2 × 1.5L - 44 from 20th Aug We keep some stock in our London Warehouse. Large volumes take 24 hours from our out of London warehouse.
Champagne Bollinger owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages. Their land is spread over seven main villages: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 Champagne Bollinger was certified High Environment Value (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Maison.
In 1976, Bollinger Vintage was re-named Grande Année. Then in 1997, it became La Grande Année - 'The Great Year' - a name simple enough to illustrate its exceptional status, because only truly extraordinary years become vintage at Bollinger. This vintage is entirely fermented in oak barrels and is produced from fourteen crus: 91% Grand Cru and 9% Premier Cru. 2008 is the first vintage of La Grande Année to be bottled in the new '1846' bottle which is to replicate a small magnum. This bottle has been completely redesigned, inspired by a 19th-century bottle discovered in the Bollinger cellars which dates back to 1846. The idea in using the curved shape of the bottle is to aim for the perfect balance of a “small magnum” with a narrower neck and a wider base, to very slightly slow down the oxygen exchange and therefore give a better quality wine with longer ageing potential.
Vinification takes place exclusively in small old oak barrels (20 years old on average), maintained in Bollinger’s cooperage, of which there are almost 3,500. Riddling and disgorging are performed entirely by hand, and take place after ageing on the lees in bottles with natural corks.
Weather: 2018 is a wonderful success. A vintage marked by an early and abundant harvest (first grapes picked by 23rd of August). A late budburst followed by a mild spring weather gave way to a hot, dry summer, resulting in a harvest in perfect sanitary condition. The chalk soils of Bollinger’s Grands and Premiers Crus vineyards regulated conditions, producing particularly excellent, concentrated and perfectly ripe Pinot noir.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 73% Grand Cru, 27% Premier Cru | Pinot Noir: Aÿ, Verzenay & Mareuil-sur-Aÿ | Chardonnay: Cuis & Chouilly
Grape Varieties: 66% Pinot Noir & 34% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 6.5 years
Disgorged: March 2025
Dosage: 6 g/l
Drink: Now to 2040+
Launched: March 2026
Tasting Note:The bouquet is immediately expressive, unfolding with ripe orchard fruit, yellow apple and poached pear, layered with Mirabelle plum, dried meadow flowers and a touch of sun-warmed straw. Aeration reveals subtle hints of light pastry and spice. On the palate, the texture is broad and finely chiselled, carried by a persistent salinity. The phenolic maturity of the warm vintage lends structure, framing the lush fruit. Despite its early approachability, there is no heaviness; instead, the wine combines suppleness with vibrancy, finishing long and seamless. Already gratifying yet clearly built for graceful evolution. - Tasted by Essi Avellan MW
Champagne Bollinger have been creating prestigious champagnes with character, distinguished by their elegance and complexity, since 1829. The story began when the son of a noble family, Athanase de Villermont, inherited an extensive estate in the Aÿ region. Foreseeing the extraordinary potential of the wines of Champagne, he founded the firm Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie upon meeting Joseph Bollinger, a widely travelled German and Paul Renaudin, a local man fascinated by the world of wine. Nearly two hundred years later, Bollinger are one of the biggest names in the region and are famously the preferred champagne brand of fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond.
The House owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are Grand Cru and Premier Cru vines. Their land is spread over seven main vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 it was certified HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Champagne Bollinger vineyard, such as the large-scale reduction in the use of vine protection products, the implementation of organic pesticide treatments across the entire vineyard, energy recovery from pruning waste, the application of experimental organic farming on a section of the vineyard, and the numerous other actions carried out to protect biodiversity and embellish the vineyard.
Cellar Master: Denis Bunner
Winery Location: Aÿ | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Vallée de la Marne
Annual Production (bottles): 2,500,000
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Bollinger:
Denis Bunner 2023 - Current | Joined Bollinger as Deputy Chef de Cave in 2013 and became the 7th Chef de Cave in 2023. He joined 6th September 2013 and the harvest started end of September. He was involved in quality control, first grape purchasing, where he implemented new techniques to control the must’s quality at the laboratory. Very quickly it gave the Maison a quick global overview of the harvest’s quality and ability to control it more efficiently. In 2014 he oversaw the jetting process, used in Special Cuvee and case by case with the vintage cuvee. Before Bollinger Denis worked at the CIVC Oenology department, where for ten years he was involved with research and a member of the Laboratory of Tasting and Sensory Analysis, this tasting has mapped out his journey.
Gilles Descôtes 2013 - 2023 | In 2003 Gilles joined Champagne Bollinger holding a string of key positions; Deputy Director of Production, Director of Vineyards and Procurement and Technical Director. During his tenure as Director of Vineyards he lead the way for more sustainable farming in the vineyards, a key achievement for the HEV certification awarded to the Maison in 2012. Long before he was chef de cave, he was part of the tasting committee so in 2013 he was a natural successor to the outgoing chef de cave in 2013. He wasted no time in recruiting his deputy, Denis Bunner joined him in September 2013 from the CIVC. Gilles Descôtes pays the greatest attention to the grape, a raw material whose excellence is essential for the production of an exceptional champagne and his philosophy can be summed up "respect for the grape, to achieve the purity of the wines." He held the position for over 10 years, guiding the House's style, protecting traditions and sprinkling a little gold dust here and there! He was part of the team for example who in 2008 introduced nitrogen to the racking process protecting the wines from oxygen. Gilles grew up in Oger in the Côtes des Blancs and spent his childhood in Champagne. He went to primary school in Oger, high school in Épernay, before continuing his studies in Reims, Paris and Montpellier. A very warm and gentle soul who was incredibly generous with sharing information. After a short illness he died in January 2023, a major loss to the house and Champagne world.
Mathieu Kauffmann 2004 - 2013 | In February 2001 he joined the winemaking team at Bollinger working alongside Gérard Liot and became chef de cave in 2004. During his time at Champagne Bollinger he was an integral part to the Maison achieving its HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE (HEV) certification, awarding key environmental achievements across the winemaking and vineyard operations. He also believed "the wood allows the must to breathe" as a result all vintage cuvee became 100% fermented in oak. Mathieu also oversaw the construction of the Mareuil-sur-Ay pressing center and the expansion of the cellars in Ay. Kauffmann started his sparkling wine career in 1992 in his native Alsace where he headed up the Crémant production of the Cave d’Eguisheim.
Gérard Liot 1989 - 2004 | A local champenoise who joined Champagne Bollinger in 1969 and twenty years later was promoted to chef de cave.
Expert Reviews
95 → 97/100
Essi Avellan MW
“In the generous, precocious 2018 season, Bollinger chose to anchor La Grande Année in a resolutely classical register. Particularly satisfied with the authority of their Pinot Noir, the backbone is drawn from Aÿ, Verzenay and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The Chardonnays come principally from Avize, Chouilly and Cuis, but in total, 19 grands and premiers crus contribute to the assemblage. The bouquet is immediately expressive, unfolding with ripe orchard fruit, yellow apple and poached pear, layered with Mirabelle plum, dried meadow flowers and a touch of sun-warmed straw. Aeration reveals subtle hints of light pastry and spice. On the palate, the texture is broad and finely chiselled, carried by a persistent salinity. The phenolic maturity of the warm vintage lends structure, framing the lush fruit. Despite its early approachability, there is no heaviness; instead, the wine combines suppleness with vibrancy, finishing long and seamless. Already gratifying yet clearly built for graceful evolution.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni
“Bollinger’s 2018 La Grande Année is quite pretty and delicate. Floral and citrus notes are nicely lifted in a Grande Année that offers notable sensuality and grace. Hints of orchard fruit, chamomile, mint and chalk build through the midpalate and into the taut, chiseled finish. There’s plenty of energy and focus. More importantly, this is a fine effort in a year marked by high yields in Champagne. I would give this a few years in the cellar. The 2018 is 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay from 19 villages, 73% Grand Cru and 37% Premier Cru. The core villages are Aÿ, Verzenay and Mareuil for Pinot Noir and Avize, Chouilly and Cuis for the Chardonnay. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: March 2025”
94+/100
Kristaps Karklins
“Originating from a hot and dry growing season—particularly from mid-June onward—during which harvest began as early as August 23 and lasted for a full two weeks, Bollinger’s 2018 La Grande Année, composed of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay, was disgorged in March 2025 with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine has turned out very well in the vintage context, presenting—unsurprisingly—a broader and more succulent profile than the racy, fine-boned renditions of 2014 and 2008. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of peach, yellow apple, and orange peel mingled with freshly baked bread and mango, it is medium- to full-bodied, ample and textural, with a generous core of fruit, animated by a pillowy mousse and laden with ripe yet vibrant acidity, carrying through to a long finish. It is slightly more expressive in magnum format, though in either case, it will benefit from a few years of post-disgorgement aging to fully unwind.”
94 → 96/100
Richard Juhlin
“If 2015 was like a walk in the forest in autumn, 2018 is spring-winter just when nature is starting to wake up. Enormous expectant energy and an underlying well-hidden power that will be firing on all cylinders after 2035. A real knockout fist treacherously draped in silk gloves. Cold, fresh and sparkling notes of citrus and Granny Smith apples dance beautifully together with the more classic Bollinger notes of brioche and gunpowder-smoky minerality. Right now, there are more green apples here than red apples, more raspberries than peaches, more acacia and yellow roses than honeysuckle, more bitter almonds than hazelnuts, more cinnamon than tar, more shiitake mushrooms than cep, more butterscotch than chocolate, more light birch wood than heavy sauna notes.”
An exceptional evening in the village of Aÿ as Champagne Bollinger unveiled La Grande Année 2018, marking the first chapter in its journey towards its bicentenary in 2029.
To mark the release of the movie No Time To Die, the 25th instalment of the James Bond series, the House created a limited edition wine dedicated to 007, with a 2011 vintage inspired by the world of Bond.
Ever wondered what makes a good vintage and which years were the best in Champagne? This is the Champagne Vintage Guide, their overall ratings according to Essi Avellan MW and the best releases of the Vintage year.
Today on The Friday Bubble Essi Avellan and Nick Baker discuss Bollinger's latest release La Grande Année Rose 2014 & comparing to the previously released LGA 2014.
Today on The Friday Bubble, Essi Avellan MW and Nick Baker, Founder of The Finest Bubble introduce Champagne Bollinger’s new release, the 3rd interpretation of the PN series, TX17.
Today sees the next edition in this new line-up. PN VZ16 is the second interpretation in a new series that will be released every year, always with a focus on one of Bollinger’s Pinot Noir crus.
In celebration of over 40 years of partnership as the Official Champagne of 007 and the upcoming film No Time To Die, Champagne Bollinger has produced a limited edition gift box that brings together three icons: Bollinger’s signature Special Cuvée, the Aston Martin DB5 and James Bond.
How Bollinger’s new PN VZ 15 is a glorious deep-dive into terroir - Written by Anne Krebiehl MW for The-Buyer.Net
The new Bollinger PN VZ 15 releases on 21st July 2020
During a visit to the house of Bollinger in Aÿ last year, we explored champagnes from some of the region's hottest ever vintages, dating as far back as 1947. We also held a mini-vertical of Special Cuvée base vintages, tasted a trio of R.D.s and had a look at the new Coteaux Champenois.
Shortly after the 2018 harvest, Bollinger Chef de Cave Gilles Descôtes declared that "2017 was the worst harvest of my life and 2018 is the best". We visited the house in Aÿ to taste the base wines and also tasted some of the rarer grape varieties, such as Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris.
On Wednesday 6th March 2019, we’ll be going LIVE on Instagram TV with Bollinger winemaker Karl Reuter, who'll be guiding us through a tasting of six Bollinger champagnes and answering questions put to him by the live audience.
Although Chef de Cave Gilles Descôtes described 2017 as "the worst since 1893", Bollinger continued to innovate. We tasted the results of some exciting trials they are conducting with the rarer grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris.
It's not often that we taste Champagne that belongs in a museum. Our visit to Bollinger with Jancis Robinson MW included a tour of the newly renovated cellars and a tasting of Champagne produced during WWI.
The difficult 2016 vintage appears to have been kind to Champagne Bollinger. We tasted the Vins Clairs at the winery in Aÿ last month and the house are optimsitic - even drawing likeness to the magnificent 1988 vintage! We judged for ourselves...
