READ · COMPARE · EXPLAIN
Bollinger: Reserve Wines and Time on Lees
A Champagne producer in France. They make the multi-vintage Special Cuvée as well as La Grande Année from a single vintage. You can learn about blends dominated by Pinot Noir, storage methods for base wines, and the use of barrel fermentation.
Compare Special Cuvée and La Grande Année 2014. Organize differences in blending of vintages, fermentation vessels, and time spent in bottle separately.
Questions for this course
If the base wine was kept for 15 years, is the finished wine also aged for 15 years?
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France / Champagne
Synonym/Label: Champagne Bollinger
Update date: 2026-09-24
Non-vintage cuvée and 2014
Special Cuvée blends multiple harvests and reserve wines. In contrast, La Grande Année 2014 consists of 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay from the 2014 harvest and includes 19 crus. The indication of a single year does not mean it comes from a single vineyard or single variety.
The time some of the base wine spent aging
It is stated that Special Cuvée uses a portion of reserve wine stored in magnum for 7–15 years. This period applies to the base wine before blending. It cannot be substituted for an explanation that the entire finished bottle was aged on the lees for 15 years.
Include fermentation in barrel in the process
The fact sheet for La Grande Année 2014 states that the entire wine is fermented in oak barrels. This refers to the vessel used at the base wine stage. The subsequent bottle fermentation and aging on lees are separate stages, so consider at which steps barrels or bottles are used.
Record the bottle’s specifications
The product description for Special Cuvée does not specify vintage or lot. If you are comparing bottles at hand, add size, disgorging date if available, and any storage details after purchase. Separating the standard information from the producer and the individual bottle’s history helps clarify hypotheses about aging aromas.
What to align and what to compare.
Structure of the vintage (year)
- Conditions to standardize
- Champagne from the same producer
- Conditions for comparison.
- Non-vintage cuvée and 2014
- Additional points to confirm
- Even in a single vintage, different crus may be blended.
Stages of maturation
- Conditions to standardize
- Clearly state the beginning and end of the time period.
- Conditions for comparison.
- Aging after storage and blending of base wines
- Additional points to confirm
- Do not generalize the age of some base wine to the whole blend.
Fermentation vessel
- Conditions to standardize
- Check the order of processes
- Conditions for comparison.
- Barrel fermentation of the base wine and secondary fermentation in bottle
- Additional points to confirm
- Do not omit steps based solely on the container name.
Order of reading and key points to consider in each article
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READ · HYPOTHESIZE · RECONSIDER
Reading Bollinger: Reserve Wines and Time on Lees
Check for differing conditions by reading the table and sources. For tastings, list characteristics not included in the data separately as aspects to confirm.
This is a summary of materials published by the producer. Vintage-specific information comes from material for that year; details without a vintage refer to the product or process description at the time checked.
| Comparison items | Special Cuvée | La Grande Année 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Year of the ingredient. | Multiple vintages | 2014 |
| Blending | Pinot Noir 60%, Chardonnay 25%, Meunier 15% | Pinot Noir 61%, Chardonnay 39% |
| Processes to verify in the documentation | Some of the reserve wines are stored in magnums for 7–15 years. | All of the base wine is fermented in oak barrels. |
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Read the explanation for each question
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What period is 7 to 15 years?
Product introductions explain some of the base wines used in blends. Distinguish the maturation period on lees for the finished cuvée, and the starting point and what is targeted.
If it is a wine from 2014, is it from a single vineyard?
La Grande Année 2014, even with the same vintage year, consists of two grape varieties and 19 crus. Always check years, varieties, and land as separate units.
Does 100% barrel fermentation contradict secondary fermentation in bottle?
The base wine undergoes alcoholic fermentation in barrels, then, after blending, undergoes secondary fermentation in bottle. Reading the details of the containers in order clarifies the process.
Basis and sources for the exercise
Practice exercises in comparison
Compare the conditions checked in the documentation, and explain what the producer chose.
Read examples of organizing comparisons
| Conditions for Comparison | Special Cuvée | La Grande Année 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Year of the ingredient. | Multiple vintages | 2014 |
| Blending | Pinot Noir 60%, Chardonnay 25%, Meunier 15% | Pinot Noir 61%, Chardonnay 39% |
| Processes to verify in the documentation | Some of the reserve wines are stored in magnums for 7–15 years. | All of the base wine is fermented in oak barrels. |
Sources of materials used for comparison are listed in the text and exercises.
Explain in your own words
Please list the stages in order: storage of base wines, blending, secondary fermentation in bottle with aging on lees, and after disgorgement. Explain where the number 7–15 years applies within these stages.
Check after writing
- Did you indicate the subject and starting point for the years?
- Have you distinguished between single vintage and single-vineyard?
- Have you mistakenly presented non-vintage product descriptions as a guarantee covering all lots?
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