The NV Brut Special Cuvee opens with elegant, well-delineated aromas of honey, brioche, roasted nuts, orange zest, flowers and peaches, of which appear on the palate in a classy, finessed expression of the house style. This is an especially refined and delicious NV Champagne. The Special Cuvee is roughly 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier (2004, 2003) sourced from a variety of vineyards. Bollinger adds 5-10% of reserve wines (in this case from 1995 and 1996, aged in magnums) which gives this offering its lovely complexity. The dosage is 7-9 grams per liter. This is Lot: 807704, disgorged towards the end of 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012. Under the direction of Chef de Caves Mathieu Kauffmann, Bollinger produces one of the most consistent lineups in Champagne.Bollinger is one of the handful of larger firms that manages to put out consistently high quality wines despite its size. This estate based in Ay is probably best known to the public through its long association with the James Bond films, which is quite possibly one of the most successful product placement campaigns of all time. Despite the show biz glamor that has inextricably become part of the Bollinger mystique, at their best these are serious wines with significant aging potential. The low-dosage R.D. (recently-disgorged) series can be tremendous, and the Vielles Vignes Francaises, made from pre-phylloxera Pinot Noir vines, is one of Champagne's most exotic bottlings. The estate favors neutral oak barrels for the aging of its top wines. One of the most unique aspects of this estate is that the reserve wines are aged in magnum, rather than in tank, which is the prevailing custom in the region. Bollinger's back labels are quite informative, but it would be nice to see disgorgement dates as well on the non-vintage wines.
Robert Parker


Impressive concentration, freshness and purity here. It's all gently enriched with some savory, autolysis-driven characters. Truly a modern classic! Showing attractive spiced-apple, lemon and pink rose-like florals on the palate, this flows nicely into white-cherry territory with grilled hazelnuts and a core of sorbet-like fleshy peaches and lemons. Great balance. Drink now.
93 Points, James Suckling

A timeless classic and still one of the best-loved champagnes on sale in the UK. Rich, toasty, biscuity notes, full-bodied and utterly delicious.