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Bollinger’s vineyards in Äy. (Photo: Champagne Bollinger)
Champagne measures time in decades, not years. Even millennia can pass. When soils date back to the Jurassic era, and with champagne houses boasting of centuries-old credentials, it should come as no surprise to learn that at least one, Champagne Bollinger, has already laid plans for the next 200 years. As history runs deep here, so must the future.
Just seven years shy of its 200th birthday, Bollinger is one of the most iconic grand champagne houses. Preparations for its bicentennial celebrations include massive refurbishments and renovations to the property, including an on-site 20-room hotel slated to launch in 2026, opening the house to wine tourism for the first time in its history.
“This is the largest investment in our history,” Managing Director Charles-Armand de Belenet said at a winery presentation last September. A 5,000-barrel barrel room with an open view of the vineyards, private tasting rooms, and the conversion of Elisabeth Salmon’s old house into a reception centre are all included in the plan.
The company will also move towards sustainability over the next seven years, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent and increasing nature areas by a further 40 per cent to promote biodiversity.
Credit: The Champagne house uses second-hand barrels from Burgundy, avoiding the taste of new oak. (Photo: Champagne Bollinger)
The family-run Champagne Bollinger is based in the grand cru village of Äy, close to Épernay, a commune in the Marne department of northern France. Vineyards extend as far as the eye can see, mainly on south-facing slopes producing the most powerful expressions of pinot noir in champagne. “Äy is the kingdom of pinot noir,” reiterated Denis Bunner, the company’s Deputy Chef de Cave. “And pinot noir is the cornerstone of Bollinger.”
Each Bollinger cuvée is based on a minimum of 60 per cent pinot noir, the key to adding richness and body. The other two champagne grapes also play a role. Chardonnay adds freshness and longevity, and pinot meunier amps up the aromatics and fruit flavours.
The use of oak is also integral to the Bollinger taste. In the process of fermenting wines in old barrels, tiny amounts of oxygen are allowed to infiltrate the wines, adding richness and longevity to them.
Credit: VVF 2013 is a vivacious, bold, and opulent wine. (Photo: Champagne Bollinger)
A special feature of the cellar is its 900,000 bottles of reserve magnums. These wines, sorted by vintage and village, are blended into Bollinger’s prestige cuvées for a creamy texture and depth.
For Bollinger, developing its blanc de noir style began a decade ago. Until then, only one cuvée from the range was pinot-centric — the limited-release Vieilles Vignes Françaises (VVF).
There was still room for more, considering that the grand maison owns 178ha of land — and buys more every year, making it one of the largest holdings by any house — of which, 60 per cent is planted exclusively with pinot noir.
“As you know, pinot noir is present in all the blends,” said Bunner. “This time, 10 years ago, we felt it was time to show Bollinger lovers the different terroirs and facets of pinot noir in the house.”
Amid the renovations and new construction, three new 100 per cent pinot noir cuvées (or blends) have been released, including the house’s first-ever single-vineyard expression.
Vieilles Vignes De Françaises (VVF) 2013
Credit: Bollinger’s Les Jolis lodge in Tauxières. (Photo: Champagne Bollinger)
As a tribute to Madame Lily Bollinger’s 70th birthday, the VVF series was launched in 1969. An ephemeral rarity, the cuvée is only produced in exceptional years from vines on two small grand cru plots: Clos Saint-Jacques (0.21ha) and Chaudes Terres (0.15ha), both small enough to look like the courtyard of a stately house.
Furthermore, the vines are planted using pre-phylloxera methods. It is believed that the two cloistered plots miraculously escaped the tiny root-gnawing insect responsible for decimating most European vineyards in the 1880s. Not particularly old, but planted in old ways, the vines produce small grapes, enough for only 2,500 bottles.
These plots have since shown to contain traces of the bug. Bollinger viticulturists are striving to save the vines, but the future remains uncertain. As a result, these wines are highly collectible and priced at a premium.
With ripe apricots, almond kernels, brioche, and layers of complexity including creamy texture, chalky mineral notes, and a long memorable finish, the latest expression, VVF 2013, is a vivacious, bold, and opulent wine.
Credit: Grand cru site La Côte aux Enfants. (Photo: Champagne Bollinger)
Bollinger introduced the PN series in 2015. In his explanation, Bunner stated: “The idea was to create a pinot noir-based champagne in the Bollinger line, with each edition using a different village.” The village showing the best expression of terroir from the vintage is chosen in a blind tasting.
The first in the series was PN VZ15, a pinot noir from Verzenay (VZ) based on the 2015 vintage, and the latest is PN TX17, based on the 2017 vintage from Tauxieres (TX), a late-ripening premier-cru village that delivers exceptional fruit. A wine of great quality, the PN TX17 offers a generous aroma of red fruit. The palate shows precision, riper apricots, cassis, tangerine peel, a chalky minerality, and a remarkable tension.
Not to be mistaken for a vintage, reserve magnums and pinot noirs from other villages make up part of the blend. The wines are aged for four years and rested for six months after disgorgement.
La Côte aux Enfants 2012, Bollinger’s first-ever single vineyard cuvée
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Last September, Bollinger launched La Côte aux Enfants 2012, the house’s first- ever single vineyard cuvée. It is also its first permanent addition since 2008 and outranks the existing prestige cuvées Grande Anneé and R.D.
“The plot approach is very common among [champagne] growers,” said Bunner. “When we decided to show a single plot, we chose La Côte aux Enfants. We always noticed that the wine from this plot had special characteristics.”
Why is it so special? There are several distinguishing factors, it seems. To begin with, it is a grand cru site. Studies of terroir revealed finer soils and a higher level of maturity of grapes, which contribute to the Bollinger style of dense and rich wines. There are two slopes to “the slopes of the kids”, as the English says. The northwestern side produces champagne, while on the southern side, there is enough ripeness to produce a fine still red wine that goes by the same name.
The chalky soils, steep slopes, and historical connection to the Bollinger family — Jacques Bollinger acquired the 4ha one parcel at a time in the early 1920s — all contribute to the site’s appeal. More importantly, this pinot noir expression is ready to replace the VVF if the vineyards succumb to the bug.
In a unique vinification, the wine is 100 per cent barrel fermented and aged under natural cork for ten years. A silky, integrated champagne of delicate mousse, yellowed fruits, and honeyed notes, as well as a haunting taste of stone fruits, candied orange peels, and nutty nuances, La Côte aux Enfants 2012 has a high ageing potential.
Bollinger’s “terroir-first” approach is evident in the new pinot noir as it enters its third century. In keeping with Bunner and his team’s vision, each wine shows a different aspect of Äy pinot noir.
