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FrançaisChampagne Bollinger — The Nobility of Champagne Pinot Noir
Champagne Bollinger is one of Champagne’s most iconic houses, renowned for its vinous, deep and structured style. Founded in 1829 in Aÿ, the house has built its identity around Pinot Noir, a heritage of great crus, barrel vinification and rare artisanal savoir-faire.
Bollinger remains an independent house, deeply attached to its vineyards and to the mastery of time. Under the leadership of Charles-Armand de Belenet, with Denis Bunner as director of wines, the house continues a vision faithful to its heritage: producing champagnes of character, powerful without heaviness, complex, gastronomic and capable of ageing with grace.
A champagne of structure, depth and gastronomy. Bollinger seeks the density of Pinot Noir, the precision of great crus, the complexity of reserve wines kept in magnums and the nobility of long ageing, giving rise to vinous, intense and remarkably balanced cuvées.
History: a family house founded in Aÿ in 1829
Bollinger’s story began in 1829, when Jacques Bollinger, Paul Renaudin and Hennequin de Villermont founded the house in Aÿ. From the beginning, Bollinger stood out for its attachment to Pinot Noir and to Champagne’s great terroirs.
The house also owes much of its aura to Madame Lily Bollinger, a historic figure who led the maison in the 20th century and helped strengthen its standards, international image and vineyard heritage. To this day, Bollinger retains a distinct identity: independent, artisanal, exacting and firmly focused on great Champagne wines.
Vineyard: 180 hectares at the heart of Champagne’s great crus
Bollinger’s vineyard covers around 180 hectares, nearly 85% of which are classified as Grand Cru and Premier Cru. This extensive estate allows the house to control an essential share of its grape supply and preserve great consistency in quality.
The house’s key vineyard areas reflect its identity: Aÿ, Avenay, Tauxières, Louvois and Verzenay for Pinot Noir; Cuis on the Côte des Blancs for Chardonnay; and Champvoisy in the Marne Valley for Meunier. This diversity nourishes a style that is powerful, precise and balanced.
Terroir expression: Aÿ, Verzenay, Louvois, Avenay, Tauxières, Cuis, Champvoisy, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier, chalk, mineral tension, vinosity and depth.
Bollinger signature: Pinot Noir dominance, barrel vinification, reserve wines kept in magnums, extended lees ageing, vinous texture, complexity and longevity.
Vinification: oak, reserve wines in magnums and long ageing
Vinification is one of the great markers of the Bollinger style. A significant share of the wines is fermented in old oak barrels, encouraging micro-oxygenation, complexity and texture, without marking the wines too strongly with oak.
The house also holds an exceptional collection of reserve wines stored in magnums under cork, a rare practice in Champagne. These reserves bring depth, patina and stylistic continuity to Special Cuvée. Lees ageing is extended, often far beyond appellation requirements, giving the champagnes their aromatic complexity and strong gastronomic presence.
Fruit: ripe apple, pear, mirabelle plum, yellow peach, candied citrus, dried fruits, hazelnut and almond.
Ageing and maturity: brioche, toast, fine honey, sweet spices, cocoa, light coffee, fresh butter and pastry notes.
Evolution and terroir: candied fruits, delicate forest floor, subtle smoke, chalk, salinity, mineral tension and a long finish.
Overall impression: vinous, structured and gastronomic champagnes, combining Pinot Noir power, chalky freshness, fine mousse and great complexity.
Champagne style
The Bollinger style is recognised for its vinosity, structure and depth. Pinot Noir brings backbone, ripe fruit aromas, tension and ageing capacity. Chardonnay adds precision, freshness and length, while Meunier contributes roundness and suppleness.
These champagnes are particularly suited to gastronomy. Their texture, breadth and complexity allow them to be served well beyond the aperitif: poultry, noble fish, shellfish, sweetbreads, mature cheeses or spiced cuisines depending on the cuvée.
Emblematic cuvées
Special Cuvée: the emblematic expression of the Bollinger style. A non-vintage blend dominated by Pinot Noir and enriched with reserve wines, combining vinosity, freshness, complexity and consistency.
La Grande Année: a vintage cuvée produced only in great years, entirely vinified in barrels and aged for a long period on lees. A gastronomic champagne, broad, precise and chiselled.
La Grande Année Rosé: the prestige rosé version, combining Pinot Noir depth with refined structure and great aromatic intensity.
R.D. – Recently Disgorged: an iconic cuvée from a great vintage, late-disgorged after very long lees ageing. It combines evolved complexity, freshness and remarkable energy.
Vieilles Vignes Françaises: an exceptionally rare Blanc de Noirs from ungrafted Pinot Noir in Aÿ, today sourced from historic parcels such as Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes-Terres. A mythical cuvée produced in tiny quantities.
PN Series: a contemporary collection dedicated to Pinot Noir, exploring expressions of specific places, crus and vintages, with a more precise reading of Champagne origins.
La Côte aux Enfants: a cuvée from the famous Aÿ hillside, historically known for its still red wine and now also interpreted as a highly expressive single-vineyard champagne.
A unique artisanal heritage
Bollinger stands out through rare loyalty to demanding practices: maintaining a large collection of old barrels, storing reserve wines in magnums, long riddling and ageing, and particular attention to Pinot Noir. This accumulation of details explains the house’s immediately recognisable personality.
The house is also engaged in sustainable viticulture, with progressive work on organic conversion in its vineyard and growing attention to biodiversity, soils and precise ripeness. The aim is to preserve the Bollinger style while adapting it to contemporary climatic conditions.
Region: Champagne, Montagne de Reims, Marne Valley, Côte des Blancs
House: Champagne Bollinger
Founded: 1829, in Aÿ
Founders: Jacques Bollinger, Paul Renaudin and Hennequin de Villermont
General management: Charles-Armand de Belenet
Director of wines: Denis Bunner
Vineyard: around 180 hectares, 85% of which are Grand Cru and Premier Cru
Grape varieties: Pinot Noir dominant, Chardonnay and Meunier
Major cuvées: Special Cuvée, La Grande Année, R.D., Vieilles Vignes Françaises, PN Series, La Côte aux Enfants
Style: vinous, structured, profound, gastronomic, spicy, chalky, complex and built for ageing.
In summary: Champagne Bollinger is one of Champagne’s great iconic houses, founded in Aÿ in 1829 and celebrated for its Pinot Noir-led style, barrel vinification, reserve wines in magnums and cuvées of exceptional gastronomic depth.
Dominant aromas: ripe apple, pear, mirabelle plum, candied citrus, dried fruits, hazelnut, almond, brioche, toast, fine honey, sweet spices, chalk, salinity and a long vinous finish.
Current selection
Discover below the bottles from Champagne Bollinger currently available at World Web Wines, selected according to arrivals, vintage quality and the rarity of allocations.
