Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne Magnum 150cl

Product Information

Renowned for consistently fantastic quality, Bollinger Special Cuvée is an elegant champagne that is sure to make your evening special. This champagne house has been refining their techniques since 1829, using the unique chalky soil of their vineyards to produce high quality Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Known affectionately in the UK as "Bolly", this brand has become a firm favourite and is sure to bring a touch of class to every occasion. The Gift of Good Taste of Bollinger's grape supply comes from its own vineyards. This is a minimum, set out in Bollinger's Charter of Ethics and Quality, which was published in 1992. This Charter confirms the House's commitment to true standards of excellence, and reinforces their stubborn determination to maintain those standards that have made Bollinger a watchword for the quality of Champagne. 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'). 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. Scents of fresh almonds and yellow fruit merge with roasted and grilled notes along with a subtle touch of dried citrus. The cuvée’s golden hue are a testament to its maturity, as well as the art of Bollinger’s winemaking. 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.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. 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. 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. 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. of the harvest is fermented in oak barrels, making the finished wines well-suited to extended ageing and contributing body and depth of flavour. There are only two types of blends produced, both pinot noir-dominated: the non-vintage Special Cuvée is the expression of the Bollinger house style, while the vintage-dated Grande Année, produced only in exceptional years, is designed to express the inherent character of the vintage. R.D (Recently Disgorged) is the same blend as Grande Année, kept on its lees and disgorged much later.

Only by descending into the subterranean world of the cellars can we fully grasp the importance of time at Bollinger. Firstly, because all the wines Bollinger's uniqueness comes from its 174 hectares divided into seven main vineyards in Champagne, 85% of which are Grands Crus and Premiers Crus, making the house one of the few to produce its own grapes for its blends. Pinot Noir is the house's signature grape variety and represents 60% of the vineyard's vines. Rosé Champagne is unique in that it is the only rosé in France that is allowed to be made by mixing red and white wines, as opposed to the normal method of using dark-skinned grapes and macerating them for a short period, so a little of the colour is leeched. In the past some houses felt it rather beneath them to produce rosé Champagne, but almost all do so now.Non-Vintage is by far the most popular style of Champagne, representing as it does the producer's house style. The name is rather misleading; Krug's preferred term, 'multi-vintage', is perhaps more appropriate, since an NV will be a blend from a number of vintages. Consistency is crucial, and it is here that the skill of the blender comes to the fore. Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. A recent study proved that Champagne may be stored equally well standing upright as horizontal. The pressure inside the bottle ensures the cork does not shrink and dry out for many years. Champagne is sensitive to light and warmth and should always be stored somewhere dark and cool.

Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé. Pinot noir offers complexity, fruit flavour and texture, which explains why it is the most planted Champagne grape. Acidity levels are not as high as chardonnay, but pinot noir offers weightier flavours, adding body and strength, and giving the wine structure. Bollinger is a good example of a classic pinot noir-dominant blend.Brut Nature/Brut Zéro - Fewer than 3 grams of sugar per litre (1 on The Wine Society’s sweetness code) 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. This prestigious cuvée was made from 14 different crus, the Pinot Noirs are from Aÿ to Verzenay and the Chardonnays are from Cramant to Oger. Fermentation was exclusively carried out in barrels, the Bollinger 007 Luxury Limited Edition Moonraker 2007 was aged on lees and under a natural cork stopper for 10 years.

With a subtle chalky texture, the palate mixes notes of candied lemon andbeautiful bitterness ensuring great freshness on the finish. 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.

What are some good Bollinger Champagne gifts?

This cookie is set by AdRoll Group, to identify the device when the users move between different Digital Properties, for the purpose of serving targeted advertisements. 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? 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. Created under strict conditions in the Champagne region of France, Bollinger Special Cuvée's unique taste is the result of blending freshly harvested grapes with reserve wines to achieve the familiar, Pinot-strong mix. It features fruity undertones with a rich velvety texture. The nose has hints of brioche, with undertones of fig and spice. This is a dry, rather than sweet, champagne. The complexity of the taste can be attributed to the age of reserve wines, often up to fifteen years old, which create the multifaceted taste at the heart of the Special Cuvée. The champagne is fermented in oak barrels, which also contribute to the unique taste. The wine pairs well with fish and other seafood, though will generally complement most cuisine. Top Bottles at Low Prices