Bollinger – Champagne La Grande Année – 2014

Description

If one mentions Bollinger one names one of the most legendary Champagne Houses in the wine world, not only because of their fascinating history but especially because they have never changed their identity over the decades. Founded in 1829 in the village of Ay in the Cote de Blancs, from the very beginning the Bollinger family laid the foundations for quality production by purchasing vineyards in areas deemed the best and producing bubbles following the old but successful tradition. Planetary fame was achieved with Madame Bollinger, who took over the management of the winery from her late husband in 1941; these were difficult years due to the war, but they served to rebuild everything from scratch thanks to the charisma of coping with adversity. An enterprising woman, she created the perfect fusion of modern and traditional techniques by giving importance to the preservation of past vintages (today they go back as far as 1830), identified the best plots for the main labels where two plots that survived phylloxera with plants over 100 years old stand out. The turning point was his trip all over the United States to promote the brand of the compaiano which had thanks to this a total renaissance giving birth to the so-called “Bollinger Style” in the sense of refinement and exigency. Today there are 179 hectares planted with vines scattered throughout the region in Premier and Grand Cru categories, at the Montagne de Reims Pinot Noir is grown, in the Côte de Blancs Chardonnay predominantly while in the Marne Valley Pinot Meunier, each area is cared for to the smallest detail with eco-sustainable techniques and harvests are carried out separately picking only the best. In the winery it is a leap into the past, from the cooper making barrels for aging and restoring centuries-old ones for new use, the preservation of decades-old blends for cuvees, vinification only in wooden vats and very long stays on the lees than the minimum required to achieve more complexity in the components. Impossible for an aficionado not to drink in his or her lifetime at least one of their Champagnes and savor the Bollinger spirit, an eternal and wonderful brand.