• Bollinger - FRANCIA Champagne

Bollinger - FRANCIA Champagne

The company was named in 1829 from Jacques Placide Bollinger, son-in-law of the founder Athanase Louis Emmanuel, Count of Villermont. The Bollinger maison is located in Aÿ, one of the historic towns in the heart of Champagne and the quality of its wines is universally recognized, even by competitors. Thanks to the privileged position of the vineyards, and to a deep ethics of quality, the Maison Bollinger quickly acquires an international reputation thanks to the style and quality of its Champagne wines. Even today the family presides over the future of the Maison Bollinger with the aim of maintaining a level of production that is as high as possible. This desire has been concretized since 1992 with the Ethics and Quality Charter on which all the methods and principles defended by the Maison Bollinger are written down. The Bollinger vineyards satisfy 70% of its grape requirements, extend over an area of ​​170 hectares located essentially within the confines of the grands crus and premiers crus champenois, guaranteeing constant quality over time. The remaining 30% comes from selected grapes purchased by other winemakers within the perimeter of the grands and premiers crus. Maison Bollinger uses only the wine coming from the first pressing, reselling the second presses. The Bollinger style is based on Pinot Noir, coming mainly from the prestigious territories of Aÿ, Bouzy and Verzenay. Its typicality gives the wines richness, vinousness and roundness. The grands and premiers crus are the basis of Bollinger blends. The grands crus and premiers crus enter in their entirety in the composition of the assembly of the Grande Année and for 80% in that of the Special Cuvée. They bring their structure and complexity to Bollinger wines. The reserve wines are stored in magnums with corks under a light foam, cru by cru, vine by vine, year by year. This unique method in Champagne allows the Maison Bollinger to keep its reserve wines for many years while preserving their freshness and character. Thus having a real wine shop, the Maison Bollinger can choose with great precision the cru, the grape variety and the vintage that will best ensure continuity in the Special Cuvée assembly. Bollinger can also boast the exclusivity of a closed vineyard (clos) from which grapes of prefilossera vines are born, used for Champagne Vieilles Vignes. Before disgorgement, Bollinger wines mature in the cellar for a minimum of 3 years for the Special Cuvée, 5 years for the Grande Année, 8 years for the R.D. This aging, much longer than required by the appellation rules, allows the aromas to mature perfectly and allows the wine time to recover its balance. After disgorgement, the wines rest for a minimum of 3 months in the cellar before shipping. The wines thus recover from the shock of disgorgement and assimilate the "liqueur d'expédition". On January 3, 2005 Jacques BOLLINGER-SJB, holding of the Bollinger Family, acquires the Champagne House AYALA, founded in Aÿ in 1860. The SJB reaches an agreement with the Compagnie Financière Frey for the takeover of the Champagne House AYALA. With a current production of more than 450,000 bottles per year, the AYALA House has a history and tools that allow it to grow significantly in the years to come. SJB has the will to reposition this brand on the main world markets.