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CHAMPAGNE
– STYLES –
an opportunity for winegrowers to put the finishing
touches to their work. Some use concentrated grape
must, whilst others add mature wines, Cognac or honey
from their own estate.
This ‘recipe’, which has been copied countless times
around the world, is called the ‘traditional method’. But
Champagne is constantly mindful to ensure that it alone
can call the technique the ‘Champagne method’.
BOLLINGER: COMPLEX BLENDS AND SINGLE-
VINEYARD AMBITIONS
Bollinger, which is located in Aÿ, was founded in
1829. It owns 178 hectares of vines and buys grapes
in roughly the same proportions. Deputy cellar master
Denis Bunner answers our questions. Formerly with the
Champagne wine marketing board, as a winemaker, his
first question after he joined Bollinger was, What is the
Bollinger style? How can it be defined?
Joint research work provided the answer – “fruit in all
its phases”, in other words, fresh, ripe and dry. Fresh
fruit aromas come from the year’s wines. To preserve
them, the wines are made in stainless steel tanks. The
ripe fruit aromas come from reserve and oak-fermented
wines – the house uses a staggering 4,000 casks! Finally,
the dried fruit aromas and toast can be credited to the
reserve wines stored in magnums. This technique is
novel because reserve wines are usually stored in large
inert tanks. Here, though, they are stored on their lees in
small containers of 1.5 litres with a cork stopper stapled
in place. They then represent between 5 and 10% of the
Spéciale label. The wine – the house’s non-vintage Brut
– contains at least 60% Pinot noir and accounts for 80%
of the range. It is stored for three years for the secondary
fermentation and then around 6g per litre of sugar is
added for dosage.
Bunner explains how the ideal dosage is defined by
tasting a flight blind where dosage ranges from 0 to 10g.
Until fairly recently, dosage of 7 or 8g was the preferred
choice, so why is it now only 6g? Quite simply because
the base wines are naturally riper and require less dosage.
This is just a tiny glimpse of the incredible work carried
out in the winery, then blending by Bollinger.
The house is also innovating. The vast majority of
Barrels at Maison Bollinger which has its own cooperage
The 4,000 barrels at Maison Bollinger
WINTER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 13