La Cote aux Enfants
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2033
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted wild poultry, seared duck breast, or aged Comte cheese.
✨ Technical Specifications
The legend of La Cote aux Enfants, or 'The Children's Hill,' stems from the vineyard's incredibly steep, south-facing slopes in the Grand Cru village of Ay, which were historically said to be so challenging to cultivate that only children could navigate them. Patiently acquired block-by-block by Jacques Bollinger in the early 20th century, this iconic parcel is legendary for its pure Pinot Noir. While long famous for producing a rare still red wine, Bollinger also crafts an extraordinary, micro-production Blanc de Noirs Champagne from this single plot. Fermented in old oak casks and aged for several years on the lees under natural cork, this white Champagne is a masterclass in power and precision, combining rich orchard fruits, toasted brioche, and a deep, chalky minerality characteristic of Ay's pure limestone soils.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin, and Jacques Bollinger, Maison Bollinger endures as one of Champagne's preeminent independent, family-owned Grandes Marques. Its identity was indelibly forged under the visionary stewardship of Madame Lily Bollinger in the mid-twentieth century. The estate controls approximately 180 hectares of vineyards, dominated by Grand and Premier Cru parcels across the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne, rooted in deep Belemnite chalk and limestone. Bollinger is celebrated for its Pinot Noir-centric architectural style, championing vinification in seasoned oak barrels, magnum reserve aging under natural cork, and extensive cellar maturation before disgorgement. The portfolio is epitomized by Special Cuvée and La Grande Année, reaching transcendental complexity in R.D. (Récemment Dégorgé) and the elusive Vieilles Vignes Françaises, produced from ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines trained en foule.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier