Like all Bollinger champagnes Special Cuvee is made predominantly from pinot noir which dominates with 60 percent of the assemblage giving body and structure. 25 percent chardonnay provide freshness and elegance. The remaining 15 percent of the blend consists of pinot meunier grapes that contribute fruit and roundness. About one fifth of the grapes for Bollinger Special Cuvee are grown in their own grand cru and 1er cru vineyards around Ay. Half of the base wines are fermented in used oak barrels the other half in tank. Two recent vintage make up the base wines which are about one half of the final blend. The other half are reserve wines that are five to fifteen years of age and that have been vinified in oak and stored in magnums. After malolactic fermentation base and reserve wines are blended bottle fermented on kep on the lees for twice the legal minimum period. Dosage is not extra brut but with 8 to 9 g sugar per litrer it is at the drier end of the brut spectrum. This ages very well and after 5 years in the cellar aromas are much more complex and nuttier.A golden colour distinctive of black grape varieties
A beautiful aromatic complexity; ripe fruit and spicy aromas
Fruity aroma with hints of roasted apples apple compote and peaches
A subtle combination of structure length and vivacity; bubbles like velvet; pear brioche and spicy aromas notes of fresh walnut