Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne Magnum 150cl

Product Information

Scents of fresh almonds and yellow fruit merge with roasted and grilled notes along with a subtle touch of dried citrus. of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced. But big bottles aren’t just a champagne thing – they’re increasingly in demand for still wine too, according to Brett Fleming, MD of fine wine merchant Armit Wines. “On recognised vintages there is a tendency to ‘go large’,” he says. “Ageing the wines is part of this… but also, frankly, it’s because they look fantastic at a dinner party.”

This notion of time does not stop here. At Bollinger we let nature run its course; if the harvest does not reach vintage standards, we wait until the following year or even the year after that, so that quality always prevails over quantity. To take this idea even further, only the La Grande Année vintages with exceptional ageing potential will be left several years longer in the cellars, to become the famous Bollinger R.D. cuvées, delighting the taste buds of the most exacting tasters. Some of the most collectable large formats in still wine are those from the Vendemmia d’Artista project by super-Tuscan Ornellaia, which features works by a different artist each year. The newly released 2020 vintage has been interpreted by the conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth, in a series of works that riff on the etymology of the word “vino”. The 75cl bottles have a quote from Vitruvius; 100 double magnums show an etymological tree; 10 one-of-a-kind six-litre Impérials (or methuselahs in champagne speak) are etched with Vitruvius’s quotation translated into one of 10 languages. Kosuth has also created a unique work for a single nine-litre salmanazar. (Some of the larger bottles will go under the hammer online via Sotheby’s in September, to raise money for the Guggenheim Museum’s Mind’s Eye programme, which helps blind and vision-impaired people to access art.) With a subtle chalky texture, the palate mixes notes of candied lemon andbeautiful bitterness ensuring great freshness on the finish. Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district. The most significant period of its history was from 1941 to 1977, the tenure of Madame“Lilly” Bollinger, who expanded production significantly and was ahead of her time in travelling the world to promote the brand. Around this time Bollinger also acquired some of its precious pinot noir vineyards, using the grapes in the production of its two rosés.Another of Bollinger’s distinctive features are two plots, the Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes Terres, which have never succumbed to phylloxera. These ungrafted vines are entirely tended by hand and reproduced using a form of layering called provignage, thereby providing the means to preserve this extraordinary heritage from which the very exclusive Vieilles Vignes Françaises cuvée is produced. Champagne sweetness: Champagnes, on the whole, are less sweet than they were 100 years ago, mainly as a result of consumer demand. Brut is by far the most common style. In some Champagnes the dégorgement is delayed, sometimes for years, to increase the depth and complexity of the flavours through more time spent on the lees. After topping up (dosage) with a little more wine and sugar (known as liqueur d'expédition), the bottle is sealed. Since its foundation in 1829, Champagne Bollinger has been producing great Champagnes with a powerful, sophisticated and complex style. Champagne Bollinger has a family history in Champagne of over 180 years and is the custodian of a patiently established heritage during the decades. A Champagne house with a venerable history and tradition, it is now run by the great-great-grandson of the founder Joseph Bollinger, thus retaining the family ownership and legacy. It is one of the relatively few independent, family-owned Champagne houses remaining. Aside from making great champagne, Bollinger is best known for its association with the James Bond movie franchise as the favourite bubbly of Britain's most famous fictional secret agent. Bollinger ages their non-vintage wines three years and the vintage wines five to eight years. Champagnes are riddled by hand. You can always count on Bollinger Special Cuvee to exude fruit, spice and nut-like qualities, all topped with a fine mousse that refreshes and delights the palate when you want to impress a dinner guest or offer a special gift. How do you give Champagne as a gift? are left to age on the lees for twice or three times as long as stipulated by the Champagne appellation, so that the wine can develop and gain in complexity. It is this long rest that gives that rare delicate quality to the aromas and a velvety texture to the bubbles.

Brut Nature/Brut Zéro - Fewer than 3 grams of sugar per litre (1 on The Wine Society’s sweetness code)

The least planted of the three main grapes, chardonnay is still a crucial partner, bringing elegance and finesse to a blend. When grown so far north, acidity levels in chardonnay are high, but this is essential for wines to have longevity, and to ensure that the finished blend doesn't taste flabby. It is this acidity that marks the finesse and precision of these fine sparkling wines. Champagnes with a high proportion of chardonnay are generally the most elegant and pure styles and make wonderful aperitifs. Champagnes made solely from chardonnay are known as blanc de blancs ('white of whites'). Whilst we want to say that all of our Bollinger gifts are perfect (which they are), we know that some of our Bollinger gifts are better suited for different occasions. For example, our Bollinger and chocolate hampers are better suited for Valentines, anniversaries and special birthday gifts. Our Bollinger with flute sets are perfect for any anniversary or milestone event. If you're looking to give a gift for a simple occasion, for example, a corporate gift, we recommend our single bottle sets. These are only our recommendations, and we can guarantee that any Bollinger gift you send will make any recipient smile. All of our gifts come with a personal message and can be delivered anywhere in the UK. What is the history of Bollinger? Over the years, Bollinger has built its vineyards at the heart of the finest crus in Champagne. Champagne Bollinger’s 179 hectares of vines are made up of 85% Grand and Premier crus and are farmed by our teams of growers across 7 separate vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Tauxières, Louvois and Verzenay for pinot noir, around the Montagne de Reims, Cuis for chardonnay on the Côte des Blancs and Champvoisy for meunier in the Vallée de la Marne.