Champagne Bollinger, based in Aÿ, the heart of Champagne's finest Pinot Noir vineyards, has maintained its independence for nearly 200 years. Pinot Noir is the dominant grape here. Over 170 hectares of owned vineyards, 85% of which are Premier and Grand Cru, guarantee quality and consistency. The majority of the base wines are vinified and aged in over 3,500 used oak barrels, lending them stability and added complexity. Following an old tradition, and unique in Champagne today, reserve wines for the Bollinger Special Cuvée Rosé and Pinot Noir are stored in magum bottles under natural cork for the Bollinger Special Cuvée Rosé and Pinot Noir. Champagne - Aÿ - mid-1960s: While most Champagne houses focused on developing new designs for their bottles and packaging, Champagne Bollinger concentrated on defining itself through individual taste. Although older vintages were not fashionable in the 1960s, Madame Bollinger, driven by her bold and visionary thinking, decided in 1967 to present a recently disgorged older vintage (1952) with a very low Extra Brut dosage.

Madame Bollinger thus offered the world a completely new wine and taste experience. She contrasted exceptional freshness on the palate—thanks to the natural acidity of the grapes at harvest and the additional Extra Brut dosage—with the aromatic intensity of what was then considered one of the greatest vintages, distinguished even then by its extended aging on the lees. This was a truly revolutionary moment that forever changed the style of the House of Bollinger and of Champagne in general. 1952 Bollinger R.D. was the world's first Champagne to have its disgorgement date printed on the label. Aging is one of the five pillars of Bollinger winemaking. The best vintages require patience and perseverance. The extended time the wine spends on the lees allows it to develop its aromas in a very special way. But it is that one moment, the moment of disgorgement—perfectly executed, of course—that makes the Bollinger R.D. what it is. The base wines are fermented in oak barrels, and riddling and disgorgement are done entirely by hand in the traditional manner. There are two ways to experience the R.D. The first is to open it the year after disgorgement, when the wine reveals complex fruit aromas. The second requires a few years in the cellar, during which the blend develops the full aromatic potential of a wine from a great vintage. Only exceptional vintages become an R.D.: namely, those whose great aromas combine with the potential for long aging.