Bollinger Champagne
"On a et on n'a pas"

It took a quick lunch at the idyllic Hotel Bel-Air to refresh our minds about the delicate craftsmanship at the house of Bollinger Champagne. The soft-spoken president Ghislain de Montgolfier—great-grandson of Jacques Bollinger, nephew of Lily Bollinger and also related to the Mongofier brothers who pioneered lighter-than-air aviation—reminded us that there is heavy use of pinot noir in the blends.

Pinot chardonnay is usually associated with prestige cuvées and many cuvées boast that they are made of 100 percent of the white varietal. Thanks to General Patton, who saved the town of Ay and prevented the Germans from blowing up the caves of Bollinger in 1944, today we can enjoy marvels like a recently disgorged 1990 Grande Année.

There is plenty of other good stuff put out by Bollinger and if it's good enough for 007, it is probably good enough for you. Bollinger is the official champagne of the James Bond movies. Thanks to the tightly controlled family firm, Bollinger excels in quality. Quantity is another question, and when we asked Ghislain his answer was invariably "On a et on n'a pas," meaning "We have and we don't have any."

If you are looking for something special, check them out at www.champagne-bollinger.fr