Champagne Bollinger
Did you know?

• The House of Bollinger has been creating prestigious champagnes since 1829.
• Bollinger produces approximately 2,5 million bottles of champagne a year, which is relatively small making Bollinger very exclusive and sought after.
• 70% of the wine that is made into Bollinger Champagne comes from grapes grown on the Bollinger property.
• Bollinger Special Cuvée is made of 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier grapes.
• Bollinger Special Cuvee is non-vintage as various vintages are blended together to give the consistency of style year after year.
• 5 – 10% of Reserve wines, which have been aged for 5 to 15 years in magnums with cork stoppers, are added to the blend to guarantee this consistency.
• In certain years, wines fermented in barrels will be used in the final blend of the Special Cuvée.
• The Bollinger Rosé is a blend of 62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Meunier – so almost identical to the Special Cuvée, but it includes 5 to 6% red wine which adds colour and depth of flavour.
• Only the very best vintages are elevated to the level of Bollinger R.D.
• The cuvee is fermented entirely in oak barrels and maturation is carried out under natural cork.
• It undergoes a very long maturation, more than four times longer than required by the appellation.
• RD stands for RECENTLY DISGOURGED, where well aged old Champagne Bollinger R.D. is left lying on the lees (expired yeast) until its released only a few months after it is disgorged... keeping its freshness and brioche biscuit aroma intact.
• Madame Bollinger is very famous for her statement made to a UK newspaper:

“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”.