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. A distinctive blend between a great vintage champagne and a red wine from an exclusive plot - the legendary 4 hectare steep hillside vineyard Côte aux Enfants. Here the grapes are on a chalky rich soil exposed South-east and tilted towards the sun at 30 degrees. This unique vineyard is one of the few to contain extremely rare ungrafted vines, which produce more intense and flavourful wines with better ageing potential. La Grande Année Rosé is a rare treat and a true Bollinger.

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:The 2012 weather has been hallmarked by many as very challenging but has created some stunning Champagne. Relatively low yields due to various weather conditions throughout the year. The winter months brought some frosts and hail which damaged the early stages of bud burst. August and September were very warm and this helped rescue and give the grapes a stunning maturity.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 92% Grands crus and 8% Premiers Crus | Pinot Noir: Aÿ, Verzenay | Chardonnay: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger & Oiry
Grape Varieties: 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay | inc. 5% Red Wine from Côte aux Enfants vineyard
Dosage: 8 g/l
Disgorged: August 2019
Lees Ageing: 6.5 years
Drink: Now to 2030+

Tasting Note: A salmon-pink colour, La Grande Année Rosé 2007 is extremely aromatic with strong red fruit and peachy notes. This strength on the nose is produced by the addition of 5% of the concentrated and complex Pinot Noir from the superb Côte aux Enfants vineyard. The delicious red berry flavours continue on the palate and combines with zesty citrus fruits, leave a lasting long finish. This is a wonderfully complex rosé from a tough vintage and a wine that will certainly age well.