Bollinger Champagne

Founded in the Champagne region of Ay by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger. Bollinger Champagne House has created prestigious Champagnes since 1829. Mention the history of Bollinger and the name of Lilly Bollinger will surely stand out as someone who made a big impression on the Champagne  industry when she ran the Champagne House from 1941-1971. On one visit to England she was famously quoted for saying  “I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it—unless I’m thirsty.” 

It is one of the last remaining independent Champagne houses. Bollinger has been family-managed since 1889, in 2008, for the first time in its history, the House placed its future into the care of a Chairman who was not a family member.

The Bollinger vineyard covers 164 hectares, most of which are classified Grand or Premier cru. Pinot Noir predominates, a grape variety with an intense character which forms the backbone of the Bollinger style. Bollinger is fermented in oak barrels, making the Champagne well-suited to ageing in the cellar. Every harvest, Bollinger saves some wines from the grand crus and premier crus for reserve wines. The reserves are bottled in magnums with cork, under light pressure and aged for five to fifteen years.

Bollinger has long been known for its association with James Bond. It first appeared in Ian Fleming’s fourth James Bond novel, Diamonds are Forever, in 1956 and has featured in James Bond films since Live and Let Die.

Bollinger Champagne used in the James Bond films:

Live and Let Die: Bollinger
Moonraker: Bollinger RD ’69
Octopussy: Bollinger RD
A View to a Kill: Bollinger ’75
The Living Daylights: Bollinger RD ’75
Licence to Kill: Bollinger RD ’79
Goldeneye: Bollinger La Grande Année 1988
Tomorrow Never Dies: Bollinger La Grande Année 1989
The World Is Not Enough: Bollinger La Grande Année 1990
Die Another Day: Bollinger ’61 & La Grande Année 1995
Casino Royale: Bollinger La Grande Année 1990
Quantum of Solace: Bollinger