Madame Bollinger famously quoted: "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty." In 1829, Champagne Bollinger introduced an instantly recognizable, dry, toasty style that connoisseurs around the globe have coveted ever since. Six generations of the Bollinger family have maintained that trademark style, and Bollinger is one of the rare Grande Marque houses to be owned, controlled and managed by the same family since it was founded. With 399 acres of vineyards situated in the best Grands Crus and Premiers Crus villages, Bollinger relies on its own estate for nearly two-thirds of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir from La Côte Aux Enfants in the heart of Ay. It is this that gives its Champagne its distinctive roundness and elegance, Bollinger is one of a select few houses that can control the quality of its grape supply so carefully. Bollinger is renowned for its stringent quality standards. It adheres to traditional methods, including individual vinification of each marc and cru, barrel fermentation (it is the last Champagne house to employ a full-time cooper) and extra-aging on the lees prior to disgorgement. Cellar Master Gilles Descôtes is the grandson of a Champagne grower who has been amongst the vines from an early age. He is custodian of the five labyrinthine kilometres of cellars that run under Ay, permeated by the scent of fermented fruit, old wood and earth. These house the treasured Bollinger wines, including a matchless collection of over 700,000 magnums of reserve wines.
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