Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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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.
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: 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: 81% Grands crus and 19% Premiers Crus | Pinot Noir: Aÿ, Verzenay & Mareuil-sur-Aÿ | Chardonnay: Chouilly & Cuis
Grape Varieties: 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay | inc. 5% Red Wine from Côte aux Enfants vineyard
Dosage: 7 g/l
Disgorged: May 2026
Lees Ageing: 6.5 years
Drink: Now to 2044+
Tasting Note:This fine rosé delights with its sweet fruity appeal of freshly crushed strawberries, apricot tart, candied fruit and orange peel. Rather fruit-forward and highly youthful for the time being, there is much more aromatic complexity to surface over time. The fine quality of the red wine of the year can be sensed on the palate, where the tannin structure feels firm but extremely elegant. It's mouthfeel is juicy with an attractive rounding oiliness to the texture. The wine is free of the common vegetal austerity of the year, instead it shows the richness and deliciousness of its sun-kissed harvest year. The fine fruit quality and seductively silky tannin structure ensure its great age-worthiness. - 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
96 → 98/100
Essi Avellan MW
“In 2018, a judicious 5% addition of red wine from the celebrated La Côte aux Enfants parcel lends this La Grande Année Rosé its luminous salmon hue and hallmark red-berry soul. The delicious bouquet is led by a mélange of freshly crushed berries - wild strawberry, cranberry and maraschino cherry - still decidedly primary in character. With aeration, the profile deepens: a subtle exotic spiciness emerges, together with dried rose petals and a distinctly stony minerality that speaks to its chalk origins. On the palate, the wine moves with a silky glide. Beneath its soothing texture lies almost an electric, gently sizzling energy that keeps the structure taut. The wine finishing with a juicy length, it leaves an invitation for another sip. A brilliant vintage for La Grande Année Rosé. ”
97/100
Alison Napjus
“Like a prima ballerina, this is all about grace married to precision and fine definition. An expressive core of pureed raspberry, poached apricot, blood orange gelée and toast point is framed by well-honed acidity. A subtle, fragrant thread of fresh thyme, oyster shell, and ground ginger and cinnamon winds through and lingers on the plush, mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Dense for a rosé – a serious, savoury wine with more than a hint of Campari bitters about it, but extremely refreshing as all champagne should be. Intriguing and very much up my street. Bollinger didn’t make a rosé until 2005 because Madame Lily Bollinger scorned the style but I think this is delicious!
This went beautifully with Ritz chef John Williams’ Suffolk lamb with stuffed morel, courgette flower and mint emulsion. Bollinger’s MD Charles-Armand de Belenet made the point that they make a rosé to highlight the quality of their red wine, and that they are toying with the idea of an RD rosé!”
95/100
Antonio Galloni
“The 2018 La Grande Année Rosé is open-knit and quite caressing. It offers a bit more up-front fruit than the Blanc, suggesting it will drink well right out of the gate. The addition of 5% still red Pinot from La Côte aux Enfants and slightly higher dosage vis-à-vis the Blanc soften the contours. Cranberry, chalk, mint, white pepper and orange peel fill out the layers nicely. This vibrant, mid-weight Rosé is quite versatile; it will drink well as an aperitif or at the dinner table. The Grand Année Rosé is crafted from the same base as the Blanc. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2025. ”
95/100
Tom Hewson
“Being based on the white blend of Grande Année, one would expect a family resemblance in the rosé. Indeed the vintage's friendly, approachable nature is very much still here, yet even a small red wine addition in the blend (5%) brings an energising, complexing sense of substance and structure which elevates this slightly above the white with its gentle blackcurrant, raspberry and bitter herb intensity over the recognisable sweet stone fruit, blood orange and salty, briny savour of the style. Once again it is less structured and punchy than the 2015, but arguably finer in build, well-set for delicious drinking over the next decade at least. 2026-2036.”
95/100
Kristaps Karklins
“Since its inception in 1976, this cuvée has been anchored in the white rendition of La Grande Année, complemented—this year by 5%—with red wine from La Côte aux Enfants vineyard in Aÿ. Disgorged in May 2025 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, Bollinger’s 2018 La Grande Année Rosé reveals aromas of peach, crisp red apple and blood orange mingled with redcurrant. Medium- to full-bodied, it opens with a textural attack that segues into a muscular palate, where delicate aromatic bitters gradually assert themselves along a sapid, persistent finish. While many wines from this solar vintage display comparatively soft, moderately concentrated profiles, this is not one of them.”
94/100
James Suckling
“A whiff of black pepper opens the aromas of toasted brioche, roasted almonds and delicate peonies. Medium-bodied with intense flavors of fresh strawberries, red fruit sorbet and wafer cookies. Delicious and lightly saline.”
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...
