Champagne Bollinger Rosé

Bollinger Rosé is the most festive and seductive cuvée from this independent house founded in 1829 at Aÿ, and a demonstration of unique expertise in red winemaking and blending mastery. Launched in 2008, the newest permanent addition to the Bollinger range embodies the house's core values: freshness, structure and elegance in one bottle. This rosé Champagne combines the freshness of a rosé with the structure of a Bollinger, two qualities the house refuses to compromise.

Blending and vinification

Bollinger Rosé is a blend of over 85 percent Grand and Premier Cru wines: 62 percent Pinot Noir from Aÿ, Verzenay and Louvois, 24 percent Chardonnay mainly from Cuis and Mesnil-sur-Oger, and 14 percent Pinot Meunier from Champvoisy. The rosé colour comes from the addition of only 5 to 6 percent red wine, a deliberately modest proportion that speaks volumes about the power and concentration of the house's red wines. Bollinger has produced remarkable reds from its legendary Côte aux Enfants plot in Aÿ, and since creating rosé in 2008, the Poirier Saint-Pierre and Montboeuf plots in Verzenay have been farmed the same way, because only great red wines can produce great rosé Champagnes. Vinification follows strict house rules: old oak barrels for fermenting part of the blend, reserve wines aged in magnums, and cellar maturation more than twice the appellation minimum. Dosage: 7 to 8 grams per litre.

Tasting profile

The colour is a rose with subtle reddish-bronze glints, displaying intensity and depth that directly evoke the concentration of red wine in the blend. The bubble is fine and delicate, forming an elegant and persistent bead. The nose nobly combines small red fruits, redcurrant, cherry and wild strawberry, with a slightly spicy note that directly connects this rosé to the style of the Special Cuvée. A brightness, presence and delicacy that mark great blends. On the palate, structure and vibrancy assert themselves immediately, supported by frank acidity and a light tannin note inherited from the red wine that recalls Bollinger's distinctive character. The same small wild red fruits from the nose unfold with precision and persistence. The finish is savoury and well-defined, with a length and elegance that confirm the singularity of this gastronomic rosé among non-vintage rosé Champagnes.

The house

Founded on 6 February 1829 at Aÿ by Jacques Bollinger and his associates, Maison Bollinger is one of the last great Champagne houses to remain truly independent. Bollinger oversees 179 hectares of vineyard, the majority classified as Grand and Premier Cru, making it one of the rare great houses that produces most of its own grapes. Cellar master Denis Bunner perpetuates a recognisable style, vinous, structured and of absolute consistency, in strict respect of the Ethics and Quality Charter drawn up in 1992. Bollinger is also the last Champagne house owner of an active cooper, Gaël, who makes the oak barrels used for vinification.

Food pairings

Bollinger Rosé pairs beautifully as an aperitif with fine Iberian charcuterie tapas, gravlax salmon toasts with fresh herbs, poultry terrine with pistachios or wild strawberry verrines with basil. At table, it will show its full structure with wild salmon en papillote, roasted lobster with coral butter, roasted poultry with sweet spices or lightly sweetened red fruit desserts such as raspberry tart. Bollinger Rosé also marks an intimate and unconventional moment: English afternoon tea, a few small red fruit cakes and good conversation. Serve between 10 and 12 °C in a large wine glass to express all the nobility of its wild red fruits.