Bollinger

Bollinger is one of the greats of Champagne, standing as it does for tradition and longevity in a drinks world characterised by change.

Historically Bollinger has been, and remains to this day, a family concern, five generations after Athanase Hennequin de Villermont joined forces with Paul Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger to found Champagne Bollinger in Aÿ on 6th February 1829.

Bollinger's unique muscularity is still essentially the same today as it was in 1858, the year in which Jacques Bollinger first shipped his Champagne to England. By the standards of the time, this was a dry Champagne of low dosage in contrast to the predominantly sweet style favoured by the other houses.

It was another Jacques Bollinger, the great-grandson of the founder, and his wife Lily ('Tante Lily') who made perhaps the biggest contribution to raising Bollinger's profile. Upon his death in 1941, Tante Lily took over the running of the House, and gifted the world this famous quote:

"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."

Today, Ghislain de Montgolfier, the great-grandson of founder Jacques Joseph, and the nephew of Jacques and Lily, is the seventh president of Champagne Bollinger.

At Bollinger, independence is de rigueur and it's this resolve that led previous president Christian Bizot in 1992 to enshrine rigorous quality practices through the now famous Bollinger Charter of Ethics and Quality. The fundamental philosophy behind this is one of attention to detail throughout the crafting of Bollinger Champagnes. This includes the use of barrels for fermentation, including the employment of the regions last cooper, and the storage of a staggeringly comprehensive set of reserve wines, in magnums and under cork; both practices that are increasingly rare in Champagne.

In recent decades, Champagne generally has seen a significant increase in sales, almost doubling since 1980. Bollinger would never compromise quality in favour of volume to take advantage of this, and has accordingly acquired further vineyards, raising its holdings to 160 hectares. These vineyards, nearly 28% which are rated Grands Crus, supply two thirds of the House's needs, allowing Bollinger to maintain an enviable continuity of style. That style - masculine, mouth filling and rich - owes a lot to the dominance of Pinot Noir in the Champagne blend.

Bollinger makes two Champagnes. Special Cuvee is the purest expression of the Champagne Bollinger style. All the House's know-how is required in order to create, year after year, a blend that is consistent both in style and quality. It is therefore on this wine that Bollinger wants to be judged. La Grande Année is the Prestige Cuvée of Champagne Bollinger. It is only produced when exceptional quality harvests occur, and is the expression of Bollinger's know-how. More than the illustration of the vintage particularity, La Grande Année is the result of the Bollinger style, of its exceptional "terroir" and traditional wine making techniques. La Grande Année develops a beautiful rounded structure and combines rich, complex and intense aromas, the expression of which changes according to the characteristics of the vintage.

Today Bollinger remains one of the few independent family-owned and managed Champagne houses, with each family member passionate about safeguarding the distinctive style that sets Bollinger Champagne apart. Little wonder that Bollinger Champagne continues to be highly sought-after the world over.