One Of My Top Three Non-Vintage Champagnes - Bollinger Special Cuvée Non-Vintage

Generally when I ask people in Australia if they like Bollinger, they either erupt into displays of overwhelming joy or look at me like they've been sucking on a lemon.

Bollinger is perhaps the most polarising champagne I have come across.

To be honest, I used to be one of those people that screwed up their face when presented with the same question - or even the thought - of drinking a glass of Bolly. That is, of course, until recently.

In February I blogged my tasting notes on Bollinger Special Cuvée Non-Vintage. I used words like 'pow' and 'it feels like a meal in itself' and 'heavy'. I can still recall the flavours in my mouth; overly yeasty, caramel, subdued acidity, and overly-ripe fruit.

In the end, I concluded that 'I wasn't a Bollinger kind of gal'. What I didn't realise then was how stale the bottle was. I naturally thought this was the champagne's style - and of course it wasn't.
Bollinger is produced using oxidative (but not oxidized) processes. There is a good description of what this means from The Wine Doctor:

"A taste of Bollinger can be hugely instructive in aiding differentiation between 'oxidative', where a wine has been made in a fashion which allows oxygen to influence the style of the wine, and oxidised, where the aromatic profile of the wine has succumbed to the aldehydes created by the oxidation of ethanol by reactive oxygen derivatives in the wine such as peroxide. Advocates of exhausted wines in the latter group often sloppily, erroneously and misleadingly label them as 'oxidative'."

When it comes to Bollinger's Special Cuvée Non-Vintage, its oxidative style is a result of 25 percent of the cuvée being exposed in a controlled way to oxygen during barrel fermentation. And during second fermentation in the bottle, Bollinger use a cork instead of a crown cap to allow controlled exchange of oxygen.

Because of its oxidative style, it seems to be exposed to more risks than most other champagnes. It can also manifest in a more oxidized style with age, depending on how it has been handled through transportation and storage.

Unfortunately what I tasted in February was oxidized and not oxidated champagne. My sneaky suspicion is that the bottle I had was actually a grey import. Over the past three weeks I have blogged my thoughts on these and related topics so please refer back for more information.

Bollinger redeemed itself for me around two weeks ago when I purchased a bottle of the very latest release of its Special Cuvée Non-Vintage from Champagne Gallery. In true grand Bollinger style, it was released at the London International Wine Fair in May but with a significant 'wow' factor - a new bottle shaped in the style of a magnum. The new bottle shape is thanks to an old bottle from 1846 discovered deep in their underground cellars. Bollinger claim that the ratio of the neck diameter to the base diameter will slightly slow down the oxygen exchange and therefore improve the quality of champagne. Its new distinctive bottle shape is also very handy when choosing the freshest bottle on our shelves (for now).

So with all that said, what should you really expect from Bollinger? The house style prides itself on being full-bodied, very dry, toasty, biscuity and 'winey' - in other words, a sense of warming alcohol. They are also well-aged. So you should expect a very complex and rich champagne experience, yet fresh. Certainly from a non-vintage point of view, you won't find any other on the market as complex as the Special Cuvée.

There are many elements that contribute to this complexity. This includes:

• Using grapes from around 120 different parcels of land across 30 crus from the Vallée de la Marne, around 80 percent of which are of Grand Cru and Premier Cru quality
• Using around 10 percent of reserve wines (wines that have been put aside, specially, from many vintages) that have been aged for up to 15 years
• Ageing for three-four years before release
• Fermenting 25 percent of the wines in oak barrels and then on cork during the second fermentation

This magical and somewhat mysterious concoction must be painstakingly difficult to manage and achieve year-by-year. Yet Bollinger do it so very well. For sure, the new release of Bollinger Special Cuvée Non-Vintage takes pride of place in my top three non-vintage champagnes.

 

My tasting notes follow:

Blend - Pinot noir (60%), chardonnay (25%), and pinot meunier (15%). A very low dosage of seven to nine grams per litre has been used.

Glass - Crystal clear medium lemon with a fine, persistent bead and good mousse.

Nose - Delightfully expressive, the nose opens out nicely with mouth-watering lemon meringue, honey-suckle and a creamy, yeasty complex.

Palate -  There is so much going on at once that its hard to get my thoughts together. The first thing I notice is its freshness, richness and liveliness on the palate. It's so mouth-watering and delicious, making me salivate for more! Dry with medium-high acidity, the cuvée is full-bodied but not in a heavy way. The fresh fruit flavours of lemon sorbet, white fruit and something green (not sure what) are very lifting. Notes of toasted almonds, brioche and oak give it complexity. There is also a very slight saltiness to it but perhaps this is related to minerality. It leaves a wonderful silky lining to my mouth and a very long, creamy finish. Absolutely delightful.

Verdict - 94 out of 100.

Further reading - An overview of Bollinger which includes a good insight into their house style from The Wine Doctor. Read more about Bollinger's new bottle style here Bollinger Media Release.  

Where to buy - For me, I can't go past Champagne Gallery. Always up-to-date with the latest releases, this is where I purchased my new magnum-shaped bottle from.