First of all, you may notice that even a single sip makes you salivate and struggle to speak. That’s because of its very high acidity. Indeed, Bollinger Cuvée Special is meant to be one of the most dry and acidic of the major French champagne house flagship cuvées. It can be also enjoyed on special occasions. Indeed, this is probably one of the best of the major house standard non-vintage Cuvées that you can enjoy for a lavish moment, but you can also drink it casually with some friends. Unusually for a Champagne house, Bollinger have been grape growers as well as producers from the beginning. The house charter states that 70% of grape supply must always come from the firm’s own vineyards, defining the standards of excellence that are synonymous with the Bollinger name. The texture is not light. It’s going to be quite balanced, but you’re not yet on the velvety side of very mature champagne. This has been aged indeed for about 30 months, so less than three years in ageing overall. The House owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are Grand Cru and Premier Cru vines. Their land is spread over seven main vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 it was certified HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Champagne Bollinger vineyard, such as the large-scale reduction in the use of vine protection products, the implementation of organic pesticide treatments across the entire vineyard, energy recovery from pruning waste, the application of experimental organic farming on a section of the vineyard, and the numerous other actions carried out to protect biodiversity and embellish the vineyard.

As for the occasion, Bollinger is very versatile champagne that you can drink for a variety of occasions. It’s going to be more champagne that you would accompany with a meal or as a starter. This isn’t something that I would consider really as just an apéritif.Champagne Bollinger owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages. Their land is spread over seven main villages: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 Champagne Bollinger was certified High Environment Value (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Maison. pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 15% meunier sourced from more than 300 crus, including 85% grands and premiers crus, fermented in old oak barrels. The complexity and richness of Special Cuvée is unparalleled among the entry non-vintage blends of every Champagne house, short of ascending to the mesosphere of Krug. Its grand recipe explains why, built on incredible depth of 50-60% reserves. Triumphant complexity is a given at Bollinger, but it's the dynamic freshness and vitality that really set it apart as one of the most affordable Champagne benchmarks. Therefore, if you prefer them sweet, this is definitely not for you. It’s also very yeasty and it delivers a rich intensity and flavour just like on the nose. Renowned for consistently fantastic quality, Bollinger Special Cuvée is an elegant champagne that is sure to make your evening special. This champagne house has been refining their techniques since 1829, using the unique chalky soil of their vineyards to produce high quality Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Known affectionately in the UK as "Bolly", this brand has become a firm favourite and is sure to bring a touch of class to every occasion. The Gift of Good Taste As for the cork, the cork hasn’t retained its original shape. It hasn’t puffed out as you would want from a high-quality cork. That being said, it has been sitting probably in this bottle for quite a while. Then again, they’re also rested for three months after they’ve been corked.

Then moving into the heart, the apple and pear accord basically turned into a sort of baked apple as we noticed in the second nose earlier. There’s also a hint of butter, which is probably derived from the baked apple itself. This is quite oily on the tongue. When looking for champagne specifically, you’ll usually be choosing between cuvée, brut or rosé champagne. Though the latter is somewhat self-explanatory, cuvée is referring to the first pressed or most desirable grape juice in the production and can often denote higher quality. Brut is more common in sparkling wines and contains less residual sugar. How should champagne be served?Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.