Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne

You've just got married, christened the baby, passed your exams, celebrated your birthday! POP! Bring on the Bolly....

....well, those are the kind of occassions that bring people into contact with champagne. As a drink, champagne is often kept back for the special events in life. It is rarely seen as a drink to accompany a meal (as in France) or an apperitiff before a meal.

Bollinger is to most one of the pre-eminent off-the-shelf brands of champagne. It is, particularly in the non-vintage form, widely available at most licensed outlets.

Bollinger (or the House of Bollinger as it is more correctly known) is one of the few remaining family run champagne businesses in France. Two thirds of the grape stock used to make Bollinger champagnes comes from their own estate and in this manner quality is maintained. The main grape that is used is the pinot noir and being an estate grown grape times of picking and methods of sorting can be accurately controlled. To this is added chardonnay and pinot meunier

Unless the stock is exceptionally good, only the cuvee, or first pressing, of the grapes is used to make the must (or base) for the champagne. The wine is then fermented in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels (save for the grande annee which is fermented in small oak barrels). The wine will have rested on its lees (or grape bits!) for at least 3 years before being bottled and will then rest (they must be tired!) for at least 3 months prior to shipment.

Bollinger only make two blends of Champagne, from which all of their range is derived. The biggest line is the Special Cuvee but, in exceptional years, Grande Annee will be produced from the cream of the crop. Both champagnes are capable of being "vintage" (ie made with the grape stock of one year only) but the quality of the Grande Annee will usually be much better.

For the Special Cuvee the blend is 60% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay and 15% pinot meunier. Of these, 5-10% of stock wine will be built into the blend to ensure the distinctive flavour of true bolly comes through.

And what is that flavour? Poured slowly into a long stemmed glass (or champagne flute) the first thing that you will notice is the wonderful pale gold colour. It has a very light, yet persistent and intense mousse (or fizz). This is a fruity champagne, apples and pears being dominant, but the finish (or taste as you swallow) is a creamy vanilla or caramel.

One of my main reasons for not selecting this champagne as my fizz of choice is that, for me, it is too fizzy. The fizz also lends itself to a quite harsh taste in the initial stages and it is only when the creamy finish comes through as the mousse subsides that you get the true taste of this wine.

Champagne should be stored horizontally at a temperature of 10-12 degrees C, away from light and strong smells. It should then be chilled in iced water (never the fridge or freezer) to 8-9 degrees. Just watch as you pop the cork and make sure that it is aimed away from the face and anything breakable. There is 70 psi of pressure behind the cork. Ideally you should grasp the cork in your hand and twist the bottle (not the cork) to ease the cork out into your hand.

Champagne is a drink that is in my mind under represented in the market. Granted you can get a much better still table wine for much less money (an average bottle of bolly can set you back between 25 and 30 pounds) but there are alternatives. One such comes from good old Marks and Sparks. Their house champagne is fruity, balanced and not too fizzy and would go ideally with many menus. Try champagne throughout a meal and see what you think. You could be in for a pleasant suprise! (just watch the hangover - the fizz takes it straight to your head!)

My feelings towards champagne are summed up so well by Madame Lily Bollinger:

"I drink when I am happy and when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it when I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty!"

Claire 151101

PS I am thinking of doing a series on wines - let me know if you would be interested!