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The special Cuvée is the most accomplished expression of the Bollinger style. The house’s entire know-how is revealed in its ability to recreate, year after year, a blend that is constant in style and quality, and to recompose this bouquet of aromas, this unique combination of body, balance, vinosity and finesse. It is therefore on this wine that the House bases its difference, makes its qualitative choices and means to be judged.
Having handpicked the grapes of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, they are pressed and left to settle. Bollinger employes two pressing houses in Ay (Louvois and Mareuil), to ensure the shortest possible distance between harvest and pressing. The Primary Fermentation is due Cru by Cru, in order to preserve the characteristics that are so unique to the specific vine. Bollinger utilize oak barrels for their fermentation (a rare technique used by Champagne houses) as this method serves to reinforce the aromatic complexity of the wine and aides the ageing process. Bollinger take care not to use barrels that are younger than five years old as this eliminates the risk of tainting the wine with an oaky taste or tannins from the wood. Once this fermentation has taken place, only traditional yeasts are added unlike agglomerated yeasts employed by other Champagne houses, asBollinger believe that they do not create a satisfactory Champagne. Once bottled under only natural cork, the Second Fermentation takes place and the wine is left to age. The use of cork serves to increase the protection of the wine from oxidation, unlike the metal crown cap prefered by others. Bollinger Champagne is left to age for the very minimum of three years and in some cases as long as eight, giving the Champagne it's unique and complex taste.
Tasting Notes:
A nose that is mature and graceful; containing notes of refined fruit and aged wood. A fresh, complex palate that is both elegant yet simultaneously definite. This well composed taste encloses a somewhat peppery finish with a nuance of nuts, coffee and caramel. A clean, firm mousse that is light and gentle whilst making a stylish and full bodied impact.
Grapes: Pinot Noir (60%), Chardonnay (25%), Pinot Meunier (15%)
Producer: Bollinger
Country of Origin: France
Region: Ay, Champagne
Alcohol: 12.5%
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