Aÿ, Champagne

Champagne Bollinger was established in 1829 by Jacques Bollinger and to this day is still family owned. Benefitting from ownership of 166 hectares of vineyards in the finest Premier and Grand Champagne Bollinger wines are defined as much by the vines the grapes come from, as by the blending process, or the House’s century old barrels in which the wines mature.

The essence of the wines comes from the 166 hectares of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards owned by the House in Avenay, Champvoisy, Cuis, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay, as well as the stellar Pinot Noir site La Côte Aux Enfants in the heart of Aÿ. Bollinger’s untamed beauty reflects the spirit of our time, when people seek luxury without artifice. This natural splendour can be observed from above the Avenay vineyard, where bees from the Bollinger hives pollinate an abundance of wild flowers which grow between the vines. This embrace of nature is fundamental to the Bollinger approach of respecting the environment, which has seen it be the first Champagne House awarded the Haute Valeur Environmentale certification. More than this, sustainable viticulture is a true commitment for the House, for fine Champagne is the product of a fine landscape.

At Bollinger, the brick walls, exposed wood floors, aged casks and rustic charm convey the beauty and tradition of a Champagne family, who have spent 190 years perfecting their secret of discreet luxury, the key to which lies in the quality and the detail of their wines. The natural, unassuming charm of the House continues with Cellar Master Gilles Descôtes, the grandson of a Champagne grower who has been amongst the vines from an early age. He is custodian of the five labyrinthine kilometres of cellars that run under Aÿ, permeated by the scent of fermented fruit, old wood and earth. These house the treasured Bollinger wines, including a matchless collection of over 700,000 magnums of reserve wines, poised and ready to be blended into the House’s masterstroke of consistency; Bollinger Special Cuvée.