The champagne house of Bollinger was founded in 1829, originally called Renaudin Bollinger. The founders were Hennequin de Villermont (whose family had been making wine in the region since the 18th century), Paul Levieux Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger, and immigrant from Germany. Baollinger gained a royal warrant from Queen Victoria in 1884. And the family were continually looking to expand, buying vineyards and other champagne houses. When Jacques Bollinger died in 1948 his widow Lily took the reins. She became one of the region's most celebrated figures and is remembered for her quote about the wine of Champagne: "I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it—unless I’m thirsty." Bollinger still employs wooden barrels for the fermentation of its wines.
"I love the magical moment when I get the chance, as the first journalist, to lighten the cork of the latest vintage of Bollinger La Grande Année…….The wine is made from 21 villages with Aÿ and Verzenay in the driver's seat backed by elegance from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry. The wine is characterized by vitality and energy more than depth at present. The color has a brilliant golden glow and the mousse is almost panting in its resilient youthfulness. The scent is beautifully house typical, dominated by apricot, almond, hazelnut and a smoky sophisticated intensity as from a newly lit outdoor fire. The attack is stunningly intense and the weight in the oral cavity leaves nothing left to wish for. Resilient energy and fullness are combined with greatness. Anyone who has patience will be rewarded with truffled flavor layers, chocolate saturated complexity and added exoticism of honeysuckle in the wine's bouquet. 95/100." Richard Juhlin
All our wines are given a Sweetness Indicator from 1 to 5, with 1 being the driest and 5 being the sweetest.
This can be found for every wine under the Wine Details tab.
Most red wines are dry and therefore are indicated with a 1. The sweetness becomes more relevant with white wines, sparkling wines and pudding/dessert wines such as Sauternes and Tokaji.
AVAILABLE: Currently lying in our storage at London City Bond Dinton Woods
The wine can be dispatched immediately.
TO ARRIVE: Currently lying abroad or in transit
When the wine arrives in the UK, we will contact you to confirm that it has been dispatched in accordance with your instructions. If the arrival date is important to you, please do contact us for further information.
UNDER BOND PRICES: Exclusive of UK Duty & VAT
Wines can be purchased Under Bond for storage in a bonded warehouse, or for export.
Duty and VAT must be paid before delivery to a UK address can take place.
DUTY PAID PRICES: Inclusive of UK Duty & VAT
Wines for UK delivery can only be purchased Duty Paid.
A majority of our wines are sold under bond and are listed with under bond pricing; a duty paid equivalent price is shown underneath on the Wine Details page, purely for illustrative purposes.
If a wine is being listed duty paid, only the duty paid price is shown. Duty Paid wines have been removed from Bonded Storage and cannot be returned to an Under Bond status. They can be stored in a professional warehouse but will be stored Duty Paid.