“You don't make a great champagne overnight, so we have to start preparing now so that we can celebrate our upcoming anniversary in a worthy manner,” said Charles-Armand de Belenet, head of this unique champagne house, at a presentation held last week at the winery for the international press. The main reason for the invitation, however, was the launch of a new product in the top quality category, namely a champagne from a vineyard that is particularly important for Bollinger.

But first things first: champagne connoisseurs know that the Pinot Noir grape variety is the basic pillar of the DNA for the unmistakable Bollinger style - this is the aromatic essence of the brand. In combination with the expertise of the most suitable soils and the optimal clones of the grape variety, which have been selected over many years, Bollinger now want to bring the Pinot Noir even more to the fore on the occasion of the 200th anniversary. And so three new cuvées have now been brought onto the market, which take account of this expertise in different ways. The tasting of these three pure Pinot Noir champagnes, i.e. Blanc de Noirs, started with the cuvée with the somewhat unwieldy name PN TX17. It is easy to recognise that PN stands for Pinot Noir, TX stands for the company's own vineyards near the village of Tauxières, and 17 for the year of the base wine. This is the third wine in the new PN series, with VZ15 and VZ16 created mostly from grapes grown in Verzenay.

Now, for the latest release, a significant proportion of the wine has been selected from Tauxières, which communicates itself to the consumer through its fresh, precise and complex style, further enhanced by the use of reserve wines aged in magnum bottles from 2006 and 2009. The cuvée matured in the bottle on the yeast for four years, the dosage is deliberately set very low at only 4 grams, and as Extra Brut the vinous component is further emphasised. 7 grams of acidity give the PN TX17 a lot of verve and race.

A world premiere followed, because for the first time in the long history of Bollinger, a single vineyard cuvée was presented: after a maturation period of nine years on the yeast, the vintage champagne La Côte aux Enfants Aÿ Grand Cru 2012 was launched. Friends of the house of Bollinger are already familiar with this vineyard site, which was acquired by the Bollinger family between 1926 and 1934, in connection with the well-known red still wine produced from the south-facing vines of the site. The best grapes from the northwest-facing 2 hectare plot of La Côte aux Enfants have now been used to shape this new vintage Champagne of enormous personality, which now claims the top spot above Grande Année and R.D.. La Côte aux Enfants is a monopoly site of the House of Bollinger and this pure Pinot Noir cuvée from one of the best recent vintages simply embodies everything that Bollinger is about. A horizontal as well as vertical aromatic depth, the seriousness that fortifies and broadens all nuances through the barrel ageing and the long maturation period, the spiciness of the Pinot Noir and in addition the length and freshness of a truly great wine.

This was followed by the presentation of the latest vintage of an already well-known cuvée, namely 2013, the Vieilles Vignes Françaises, which has been produced in the best years since the premiere vintage in 1969. This Blanc de Noirs is unfortunately unattainable for most Champagne lovers, which is less due to its quite proud price than to its limited availability. Only 2,477 bottles of the current wine were bottled. This precious champagne is produced from two very small vineyards directly adjacent to the winery: Clos St. Jacques and Chaudes Terres. These are vines that are true to their roots and have miraculously escaped phylloxera. Bollinger is doing its best to preserve these two walled vineyards - a third has already been defeated by phylloxera - but it has been known for two years that these last bastions have already been reached by the harmful insect. So it is questionable how long this rarity will still exist, global warming and time are working against the VVF (Vieilles Vignes Françaises). All the more impressive for those present that a few bottles were "sacrificed" to celebrate the day, and so at this point we can at least give a first-hand account of how the thoroughly powerful, deep gold-coloured luxury champagne tastes. A grandiose tasting experience, which also dimmed the youth of the product, and yet it is clear that such a complex champagne can rest quietly for a few decades and will gain even more facets in the process. As if to prove the correctness of this thesis, an aged champagne was served blind at the winery's lunch. Its nobly matured bouquet and the sporadic bubbles that became visible in the glass indicated a corresponding age, but the freshness on the palate made it difficult to address the fine Bollinger vintage as 1947. The wine had been disgorged in 1971 and had been stored in the deep cellar of the house ever since, until now, when at the tender age of 75, it formed the worthy conclusion of the tasting, which will point the way for the future of the house of Bollinger.

The traditional winery in Aÿ has a lot planned for the coming years in order to be able to celebrate the jubilee year 2029 in a dignified manner. The historic vineyard will be renovated and parts of the estate will be transformed to reflect both the values and the history of the house. A veritable cathedral opening onto the vineyards will be able to hold around 5,000 barrels, making it the largest wooden barrel cellar in Champagne, where the wines of the Grands and Premiers Crus will be matured. In order to be able to welcome wine enthusiasts from all over the world, an oenotourism concept that is so far unique in the region will be implemented. A 20-room hotel and restaurant will be integrated into the vineyard, along with a pool and wellness area, shop, tasting rooms and private dining rooms to offer guests a champagne experience lasting several days. July 2026 is scheduled for the completion of these ambitious plans.

New tasting notes!

New from the House of Bollinger