Small aged oak barrels have always been a crucial part of Bollinger. This house, which has been making champagnes since 1829, uses these vessels that are key to the finesse of their sparkling wines. Today, in the midst of modernised and technified wineries, Bollinger still uses traditional methods, where the bottles are sieved and disgorged by hand and the result is exceptional, with champagnes like Bollinger La Grande Année.
Bollinger La Grande Année starts life as grapes harvested from the 21 crus of north-eastern France, in the A.O.C. Champagne (mostly from Aÿ, Verzenay, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry). Only the most exceptional grapes from these plots reach the winery, where they ferment entirely in traditional aged oak barrels. This base wine, which is bottled and sealed with natural cork, rests in chalk crayères for a minimum of three years (almost double the minimum 15 months required by the A.O.C. Champagne). There, under the inspection of manual sieving, the second fermentation takes place and after disgorging, which is also done by hand, Bollinger La Grande Année rests for another 3 months. The wine is in charge, and it is left as long as it needs to stabilise and settle.