Vintage Champagne

To the eye: The delicate colour and golden hues are a sign of the wine`s maturity and Bollinger`s wine-making methods. To the nose: A frst impression of fresh almonds, then yellow-?esh fruit aromas evoking peach and mango; toasted, roasted notes accompanied with dried citrus and pink grapefruit. On the palate: A lovely aromatic fullness with honey ?avours and a smooth chalky texture; candied lemon notes and a delicious bitterness, a wonderfully refreshing fnish.

For Champagne Bollinger the 2008 harvest resulted in a wine of infinite depth. The remarkable maturity of the grapes combined with exceptional acidity resulted in the creation of a cuvée that exalts the House’s style. La Grande Année is the embodiment of the carefully preserved traditional expertise of the Bollinger Champagne House. The wine is therefore exclusively vinified in small aged oak barrels. Champagne Bollinger has never abandoned this traditional craft method, which helps develop aromas of great finesse. After a prolonged ageing on its lees, even today every bottle of La Grande Année is riddled and disgorged by hand. In 2008, the remarkable maturity of the grapes combined with a phenomenal acidity have produced a wine of infinite depth and allowed an exceptional vintage to be created.

Predominantly from Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs, the Pinots Noirs and Chardonnays complement each other to offer a blend with a rare balance, one that perfectly combines the concentration and freshness of this vintage. It has taken more than ten years to reveal the full quality of the vintage and perfect the unique expression of La Grande Année 2008 in an intense, complex and harmonious wine. The intensity, a sign of the great aromatic richness of this wine, is expressed and lingers through the aromas of citrus and soft fruits, berries and spices, floral and mineral notes...

Its long finish, structure and density are hallmarks of the great Pinots Noirs of Aÿ and Verzenay, the true backbone of the wine. Reflections of the unique characteristics of 2008, its complexity and it’s extremely fresh texture bestow a remarkable depth and vitality on this wine. Its chalky, precise finish prolongs the tasting experience for several minutes.

Champagne Bollinger

An elegant and balanced Champagne. Fresh citrus notes mingled with very ripe pear and peach. The palate has sweet spiced vanilla and floral notes with hints of peppercorns and intense mineral depth. Flowery and fresh with notes of brioche and citrus, together with a clean and persistent mousse.

An elegant colour:

• a brilliant light yellow
• a fine, jewel-like bead

A refined, pure, precise bouquet:

• fruity notes of white peach, lemon, pineapple, green banana and pear
• floral, botanical scents of mock-orange, herbal tea and honeysuckle
• spicier, sweeter nuances of pepper, brown sugar, marzipan and candied melon

A graceful palate with a light airy structure:

• straightforward yet complex, with a sleek, pure savour leading into a long, languorously rich finish
• a light, lively, supple structure with mineral overtones
• bracing, refreshing notes of rhubarb and grapefruit with a touch of mint

Delicate pale lemon. The nose is opulent in its youth displaying ripe stone fruits on the nose, candied lemon peel and grapefruit. Creamy autolytic mouth feel with a refreshing backbone of acidity. The wine has a persistence of length and character. The wine is more accessible in its youth compared to Brut Vintage 2008, but will last for the next decade and onwards.

The most absolute expression of the style of the House, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is always a vintage cuvee. Made from 100% Chardonnay with grapes from the finest crus of the prestigious Cote des Blancs (Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger), this cuvee is made only with juice from the first pressing. A small proportion of the blend (5%) is aged in new oak casks, which lends nuance to the harmondy of its delicate toasted notes. With these great Chardonnays from its lands, Taittinger knows to be patient; the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs waits in the chalk mines of Saint-Nicaise for 10 years before seeing the light of day and overjoying the palates of consumers

Typically generous and full-bodied style of Champagne with all the toastiness and notes of brioche lover of Veuve have come to expect.