Alvaro Bustillos

9.9

Mathew king robert pavlovich thatcher courtney clayfu feng @rvr — 13 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut NV – Champagne AOC, France 🇫🇷

Overview
One of Champagne’s enduring benchmarks, Special Cuvée combines approximately 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, and 15% Meunier, with a significant portion of reserve wines contributing depth and consistency. Rich, layered, and unmistakably Bollinger, it delivers remarkable complexity at a price point that remains accessible compared to many prestige bottlings.

Aromas & Flavors
Golden apple, ripe pear, citrus zest, baked brioche, roasted nuts, and subtle spice unfold in layers. Notes of fresh bread dough and orchard fruit intertwine with hints of honey and toast.

Mouthfeel
Vibrant and energetic with a creamy mousse and impressive depth. A delicate kiss of yeast adds texture and contrast, while the wine’s concentration and freshness remain beautifully balanced through the finish.

Food Pairings
Lobster, seared scallops, roast chicken, truffle dishes, aged Comté, oysters, or simply enjoyed as a celebratory aperitif.

Verdict
A richly textured and multi-layered Champagne that continues to justify its reputation as one of the region’s benchmarks. Complex, expressive, and consistently rewarding, it offers a level of sophistication that punches well above its category.

Did You Know?
Unlike many large Champagne houses, Bollinger ferments a portion of its wines in old oak barrels and maintains an extensive reserve wine program, helping create the signature richness and depth that define Special Cuvée.

🍷 Personal Pick
Few non-vintage Champagnes deliver this combination of richness, complexity, and value. The layered fruit, subtle autolytic character, and vibrant texture make Special Cuvée one of my favorite benchmark Champagnes and a bottle I never hesitate to revisit. — 2 months ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

This is a pleasant stunner of citrus zest and tart apple. Whoa! Note to self: 12 is not sufficient supply. — 18 days ago

Gabriel Hayes

10

Tanglewood — 22 days ago

with Patricia and Rachel

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.4

Touch of over the hill but still OK. Lost color. More for the geeks and aficionados - than the casual wine drinker. So this review is for you guys. — a month ago

Ivor

9.1

Best solution on a hot humid summer day. — a month ago

romo

9.3

Reduced and young, very serious. Not your book club Chardonnay. - at Laurelhurst — 8 days ago

Martijn

9.5

From a demi bouteille. Very ripe and lush. — 6 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

See my previous note in February 2026. Very similar to now. This is fulsome and savoury at once - black cherry and raspberry. Very easy to like. Like a hypothetical blend of Syrah and Merlot. The herbal savouriness of Syrah with the softness of a supple Merlot. Made by Alvaro Palacios. Love the flamboyant Spanish label. — 3 days ago

Mike Miller

9.4

Gentle, soft spoken. Floral on the nose, with notes of raspberry that don’t go far as it goes down. Stone fruit on the end. — a day ago

with Anne

Michael Wehner

9.7

Probably my favorite rosé — 2 days ago

with Margaret

Alvaro Bustillos

9.3

Jorge baeza — a month ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.7

Precheval troigoss Bilky — a month ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.0

Such a welcoming change from the way it used to be. much less oak. better quality fruit, better oak integration, fresher, spicier. this is actually good. This is quality #Garnacha love it. #campodeborja — 22 days ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — 8 days ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.6

Mathew king robert pavlovich thatcher courtney clayfu feng @rvr — 13 days ago

Conrad Green

9.5

Rounded and polished. Soft citrus and wet stone. Rounded and classy. Drinking well now — 11 days ago

Joe Flo

9.5

Just think Dom Perignon is a solid consistent Champagne house. — a month ago

Austin Hohnke

9.0

100% Syrah showing opaque purple in the glass. Inky and aromatic with pepper and pomegranate. Killer pairing for ribeye au poivre in Torrey, Utah. 14.5% abv. but not hot. — a month ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This was showing well with its red & black fruits, spice, orange peel, earth, mineral & floral notes — a month ago