Champagne Bollinger

The Champagne of James Bond 007

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."

After being featured in 14 James Bond films, Champagne Bollinger adds to the Bond legacy with the release of the Spectre Limited Edition ($229) on October 1st, 2015, to celebrate the 24th James Bond film SPECTRE. It contains a 2009 vintage Bollinger cuvée and a limited edition chill box, designed by Carré Basset.

Bollinger has also created an accessory that expresses the essence of the 007 life: The Saint-Louis SPECTRE Crystal Ice Bucket. Continental Europe's leading crystalworks since 1781, Saint-Louis, has created the crystal set to echo the iconic 007 refinement. The base reflects the barrel of 007's gun, and the top of the metallic neck features the Bollinger 007 signature and is set off by the sign of the cotopus, the Spectre. Only 307 sets have been produced and are set to release in November of 2015.

Find out more about the Bond and Bollinger pairing at the Champagne Bollinger official website

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