Bollinger Champagne Brut 'Special Cuvee' (N.V.)

A golden color, distinctive of black grape varieties. Very fine bubbles. On the nose, it has a beautiful aromatic complexity, ripe fruit, and spicy aromas, with hints of roasted apples, apple compote, and peaches. On the palate, there is a subtle combination of structure, length, and vivacity. The bubbles are like velvet. Flavors of pear, brioche and spicy aromas, notes of fresh walnut.Pair with all fish, especially sushi and sashimi, shellfish such as shrimp, prawns, crayfish and grilled lobster, poultry and white meat, cashews, parmesan or prosciutto.

Tasting Notes

96 Decanter
60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier sourced from more than 300 crus, including 85% grands and premiers crus; 15% fermented in old oak barrels. The complexity and richness of Special Cuvée is unparalleled among the entry non-vintage blends of every Champagne house, short of ascending to the mesosphere of Krug. Its grand recipe explains why, built on incredible depth of 50%-60% reserves. Triumphant complexity is a given at Bollinger, but it’s the dynamic freshness and vitality that really set it apart as one of the most affordable Champagne benchmarks.

93 Jeb Dunnuck
Bollinger’s NV Special Cuvée knocks it out of the park. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels, it boasts a rich, deep, medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific notes of lemon curd, crème brûlée, caramelized stone fruits, and hints of toasty nuttiness that develop with time in the glass. It’s a big, rich Champagne that stays balanced and pure. Beautiful stuff.

92 Wine Spectator
There's a pleasing, snappy quality to the acidity framing this elegant Champagne, enlivening accessible flavors of currant, Marcona almond and orchard blossom, with a minerally touch of saline-laced oyster shell that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2022.

92 James Suckling
Fine bubbles combine nicely with the cooked apples, pie crust and lemon rind. Some biscuit, too. Full body. Layered and creamy with a crisp finish. Always delicious. Drink now.

92 Wine Enthusiast
As always with this producer, this iconic nonvintage cuvée is dominated by Pinot Noir that gives impressive richness as well as ripe stone fruits. Wood fermentation adds further complexity as does the age of this bottling before release. Drink this Champagne now.

91 Wine & Spirits
Cool and generous, this is a bold, lusty Champagne with pinot-inspired scents of violets and flavors of dark berries, the wine structured by its time in oak. It’s a vinous Brut, suited to roast fish and light game.

91 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in the second half of 2019, the latest release of Bollinger's NV Brut Special Cuvée is based on the 2015 vintage, complemented by around 60% reserve wines. The wine is still quite tightly wound after its recent disgorgement, opening in the glass with notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, clear honey and orange peel, with little sign of the nuttiness to come with bottle age. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, muscular and incipiently textural, with a deep core, ripe acids and a pinpoint mousse. This isn't the most incisive vintage of Special Cuvée, but it's powerful and vinous and will have fine gastronomic potential with a little bottle age. Rating: 91+