In 1911, Georges Bollinger's British agent gave him the idea for the name Special Cuvee - "special" written the English way, without an accent. He thought the French expression "Brut sans annee" was no match for such a subtle champagne...More than a hundred years later, the name of Bollinger's key figure champagne still symbolizes both its expertise and its history.
Color - A golden color, distinctive of black grape varieties; very fine bubbles.
Nose - A beautiful aromatic complexity; ripe fruit and spicy aromas; hints of roasted apples, apple compote and peaches.
Palate - A subtle combination of structure, length and vivacity; bubbles like velvet; pear, brioche and spicy aromas, notes of fresh walnut.
Pairs with:
Any fish, especially sushi and sashimi.
Seafood: shrimp, prawn, crayfish, grilled lobster.
Poultry and white meat. Parmesan, good cured ham.
Trademark Bollinger complexity with apples, brioche and grapefruit in a very subtly reductive style. The palate is super fine, even and elegant with a refreshing lemon, lime, light-berry and apple-brioche finish. Drink now.
As always with this producer, this iconic nonvintage cuvee is dominated by Pinot Noir that gives impressive richness as well as ripe stone fruits. Wood fermentation adds further complexity as does the age of this bottling before release. Drink this Champagne now
Disgorged in the second half of 2019, the latest release of Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvee is based on the 2015 vintage, complemented by around 60% reserve wines. The wine is still quite tightly wound after its recent disgorgement, opening in the glass with notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, clear honey and orange peel, with little sign of the nuttiness to come with bottle age. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, muscular and incipiently textural, with a deep core, ripe acids and a pinpoint mousse. This isn’t the most incisive vintage of Special Cuvee, but it’s powerful and vinous and will have fine gastronomic potential with a little bottle age.
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