La Grande Annee
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2040
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared sea scallops, roasted pheasant, aged Comté cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
La Grande Année is the ultimate expression of Champagne Bollinger's traditional, artisanal craftsmanship, produced only in years of exceptional quality. Hand-harvested grapes from predominantly Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards—with Pinot Noir sourced from historic parcels in Aÿ and Verzenay, and Chardonnay from Cramant and Oger—form the backbone of this prestigious cuvée. In a rare dedication to historical methods, Bollinger entirely ferments La Grande Année in seasoned oak barrels, a practice that encourages gentle micro-oxygenation and imparts a legendary depth, creamy texture, and structural complexity. The wine undergoes its secondary fermentation under natural cork rather than crown caps, requiring every single bottle to be hand-riddled and hand-disgorged. This meticulous, time-honored approach preserves the vinous, muscular, and deeply aromatic style championed by the legendary Madame Lily Bollinger.
🍾 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.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Approximately 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
12% - 12.5%