Champagne Bollinger was established in 1829 by Jacques Joseph Placide Bollinger, the youngest son of a noble-woman and legal officer in Wurttemberg. It ook him just three years to begin shipping their distinctively dry Champagne to Britain and this in itself was unusual for a period when most champagne reaching this country was sweet.
Grande Annee, the name, signifies that Bollinger's vintage champagne is only released during 'great' years.
The Grande Annee blend comes only from a particularly fine harvest. When such a harvest occurs the House selects its best wines, cru by cru and grape variety by grape variety - the key to the particular year. Each wine is individually fermented in oak casks prior to blending. On average, the blend is composed of 65% pinot noir and 35% chardonnay.
The "Grande Annee" always ages for a minimum of five years in its bottle, magnum or jeroboam corked with a traditional cork.