x
  • Country ranking ?

    529
  • Producer ranking ?

    15
  • Decanting time

    No
  • When to drink

    Now
  • Food Pairing

    Seafood, Salads & Consommes

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

The underground world of the House’s cellars reveals the full importance of time at Bollinger’s. After primary fermentation in small stainless steel or wooden casks the wine is bottled in the spring and taken down to rest in the pervading silence of the chalk cellars; Special Cuvée champagne will remain there for at least three years and vintage cuvees for much longer. It is this long period of rest that develops the extraordinarily delicate aromas of the wine and gives the bubbles their smooth texture.

Each year, some of the very best wines are added to the House’s exceptional collection of 700,000 reserve magnums which are kept for blending Special Cuvée. Stoppered with natural corks during a light secondary fermentation, these magnums enable each wine, from every cru and every plot, to reveal the infinite subtlety of their bouquet and to develop their full complexity while being protected from oxidation. This is a luxury that gives Bollinger the opportunity of letting wines mature over many years before being used. The art of using reserve wines has reached absolute perfection!

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Wine Information

Bollinger is one of only a handful of the remaining family-owned prestige champagne houses. Founded in 1829, Bollinger attained legendary status in its pursuit of perfection: its renowned Charter of Ethics and Quality was published in 1992 by Christian Bizot and Ghislain de Montgolfier, when the syndicate of Grand Marque houses was not ready to accept the stringent criteria as a guideline for all houses. Bollinger decided to stick with the Charter and its own values, which respect not only quality, but also family, the region and tradition. In an age of increasing champagne production and giant champagne houses, Bollinger has been able to keep its scale small. Export manager Philippe Menguy explains:
“Every year we produce two million bottles of champagne, even though we could sell four million. We have 12 million bottles in our cellars, which is a six-year inventory. We own and cultivate a majority of our grape needs, so we’re not dependent on purchased grapes.”

Christian Dennis sheds light the role that Vieilles Vignes Françaises (VVF) plays in the house portfolio: “Wine is produced in minimal amounts only during the best champagne years, averaging out to 3,000 bottles. This accounts for only 0.15% of our gross production! The hand craftsmanship that this requires and disadvantageous economies of scale make the VVF three times more expensive than our other vintage champagnes. From an economic standpoint, the VVF doesn’t play a major role, but in terms of image it is vital to us. It’s also extraordinary to produce a wine using winemaking techniques which were used before the phylloxera blight. The VVF is thus the epitome of the country’s original champagne style.”

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Vintage 1928

Champagne Vintage by Richard Juhlin / The vintage of the century! Krug from this year is considered by many experts to be the most perfect champagne ever made. More than eighty years old, champagne is always a gamble, and I regret to inform you that I am no longer equally impressed with this powerful vintage as I was earlier. Certainly, there are great bottles— and the acidity is always impressive—but most are pitted by maderisation, unlike the delicious 1921. The major exception is, of course, my best champagne experience—the light and magical 1928 Pol Roger Grauves. 

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Tasting note

color

Medium and Gold

ending

Smooth and Flavorful

flavors

Vanilla, Toasty and Honey

nose

Youthful, Pure, Opulent and Ripe

recommend

Yes

taste

Vigor

Written Notes

This is one of history's most legendary Champagnes. I don't really know what to say. The bouquet of the first bottle I tasted was frankly quite unpleasant. Honestly, hints of death and decay were evident—or penicillin, if one wants to be more polite. The taste, on the other hand, was heavenly, with a vigor and dimension that I've rarely experienced. The vitality of the next bottle was not as monumental. Here the bouquet was most delicious, with a slight note of digestive biscuit and cream. The flavor was extremely long, creamy, and caressing. More Chardonnay-like than usual, and actually more like a '29 in its soft, soothing manner.

  • 87p
The final Champagne to ring in the New Year was the 1928 Bollinger. Rob was anxious about the finale as he wanted to end with a bang, but one sniff elicited a ‘Thank you, Jesus.’ The color and fizz were both there and incredible for this ancient wonder. Wheat crackers were the first aroma I noted, followed by a seeping vanilla and touch of apple. Earth, forest, cinnamon spice and Apple Jacks joined in. It had great perfume. It was so sweet in the mouth, almost too much at first. ‘We are in the land of all-time,’ Big Boy pronounced. The palate eventually developed a dry goodness to it, not leather, not earth, but rather a benevolent cardboard, like opening up a Chanel gift box. There were Rose’s Lime Juice flavors on its finish, which had great sweetness and spritz. Pinches of mountain herbs and dried apple had this tremendous bubbly flirting with 98 points.
  • 97p
1928 Bollinger is the greatest champagne I have ever drank and one of my most memorable wines ever. I had arranged a 1928 tasting with 40 wines from Bordeaux in 1994, one of the guests was Ghilain de Montgolfier (the president of Bollinger) who had brought a magnum of their 1928 disgorged in 1953. It still showed some bubbles and had an amazing nose of toasted bread and toffee. Much like a great mature Montrachet. It was in absolute perfect balance and showed no age whatsoever.
  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Ay, Champagne

Other wines from this producer

B13 Blanc de Noirs

Bollinger Collection

Bollinger Special Cuvée

Coteaux Champenois La Côte aux Enfants

La Côte aux Enfants

La Grande Année

La Grande Année rosé

PN TX 17

PN VZ15

PNVZ16

R.D. Bollinger

RD Collection

Rosé

Special Cuvée

Verzenay Réserve

Vieilles Vignes Françaises

Vieilles Vignes Francaises Collection

Vins Clairs Cramant Vinifié en Fût

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