France, Champagne, Ay
La Grande Année is Bollinger's prestige blend. It is only produced in exceptional years and with the best grapes, which is expressed in the remarkable quality of this vintage wine.
La Grande Année is the incarnation of the craftsmanship that has always been preserved by the House, all implemented, even today, during its development: The vinification exclusively carried out in small old oak barrels, 20 years old in average, maintained in the cooperage of the House and constituting a park of more than 3,500 barrels. The riddling followed by disgorging, entirely done by hand, which takes place after aging on the lees of the bottles under a cork stopper.
Thanks to its incomparable density and creamy texture, La Grande Année is truly a great wine for gastronomy.
The deep gold color reflects Bollinger's typical production method. The bouquet is complex and offers a wide variety of aromas, ranging from honey to brioche, from cinnamon to dried fruit, including notes of hazelnut and lime blossom. The bubbles are of great finesse. On the palate, this exceptional champagne is supple and opulent; we find the range of aromas of the bouquet, completed by notes of orange peel and a hint of vanilla. With its complex finish, richly nuanced and of a beautiful length, this grand cru is convincing from all points of view. A champagne unique in its style and ideal to accompany meals.
GRAPES
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
ELABORATION
The first fermentation is carried out in oak barrels, which is very rare in Champagne today.
FLAVORS
Dried fruits, Orange peel, Linden flower, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Honey, Brioche
ACCOMPANIED
Foie gras, Grilled fish, Seafood, Shellfish, Veal, Poultry, Hard cheese
APOGEE
8-20 years
FLIGHT. ALCOHOL
12%
OPERATING TEMPERATURE
08 to 10°C
The House
Since 1829, the Bollinger Champagne House has been creating champagnes of prestigious character, which are distinguished by their elegance and complexity. These exceptional wines are the result of rigorous attention to detail, because Bollinger accepts nothing less than excellence. Each detail represents the quest for a certain form of perfection. This spirit of uncompromising independence, dedicated to accomplishment without ostentation, exemplifies the inimitable elegance for which Champagne is renowned and which so impressed the Court of England that the House has been awarded the Royal Warrant since 1884.
Terroir
The 178 hectares of the House are planted at 85% in Grand Cru and Premier Cru, spread over seven main vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Valeurières, Louvois and Verzenay are planted in Pinot Noir, Cuis in Chardonnay and Champvoisy in Pinot Meunier. Bollinger is one of the few champagne houses to produce the majority of its own grapes for its blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyard, which corresponds exactly to the proportion of this demanding variety in the Special Cuvée blend. Complex and powerful, it gives Bollinger wines a remarkable structure.
Another peculiarity of Bollinger: two plots, Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes Terres, which have never succumbed to phylloxera, a disease which ravaged almost all of the Champagne vineyards at the beginning of the 20th century. These non-grafted vines are entirely worked by hand and reproduced according to a mode of stratification called provignage, thus making it possible to preserve this extraordinary heritage from which the very exclusive cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises is produced.
ALLERGIES
Wines
(may contain sulphites, eggs, milk, fish)
Red and white wine usually contain sulphites, but there are sulphur-free wines available. Many wines use eggs, milk or fish at the fining stage of production. The ingredient list will not include these allergens because even though the wine has come into contact with these ingredients, they are removed from the final product.
