Bollinger

Bollinger is one of the largest and most famous Champagne houses, founded in 1829 in Ay, a charming farming village located on the outskirts of Epernay at the foot of the Montagne de Reims. The founders of the Maison Bollinger were Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger; since then, for 5 generations, the maison has been run by the Bollinger family until 2008 when, the dynasty having run out, Jérôme Philipon became head, a promoter of new investments in respect of the glorious family tradition.

Historically, the big Champagne houses are "necociants," meaning they buy grapes from other growers and process them in their own cellars. Bollinger, on the other hand, independently produces the grapes that it then turns into Champagne. All three grape varieties that, blended in different proportions, form the basis of production: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, find their place in its vineyards. Pinot Noir takes the lion's share, accounting for more than 60 percent of production. Nearly 85 percent of the vineyards enjoy Grand Cru status, and, a very remarkable fact, two vineyard parcels were spared from phylloxera in the disastrous epidemic of the 'early twentieth century. Bollinger's underground cellar winds its way underground for miles of stone tunnels; it is directed by Mathieu Kauffman, who controls with maniacal meticulousness everything that takes place, everything that goes in and everything that comes out. The production process is carried out according to the dictates of tradition, even rejecting some innovative techniques that have become standard practice: the "remuage" of the bottles, for example, is still done by hand.

The Bollinger style is inimitable and recognized as such by all great champagne lovers. Each Bollinger-branded bottle is endowed with extraordinary charm and encapsulates all the essence of traditional know-how. The proposed range is the result of a production that is at the top of Champagne, a production to be savored bottle after bottle to discover all the charm and best characteristics of French bubbles.