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

Jack Hasten

9.2

Very good...
David at the Fat Canary, merci’ — 5 years ago

Mark S.

9.1

Very special, red fruits from Pinot noir. No, this is made from Chardonnay grape. 2nd time on 200318, tasty giving impact with matured pear and nuts flavor and sourness. Varnier-Fanniere Cuvee Jean Fanniere Origine Extra Brut Grand Cru Champagne Blend, AVIZE CUVEE grand cru @2300, - Kkami, 210303 — 5 years ago

Fredric Bergström

8.9

Special club 2011 by Gaston Chiquet, good producer, very bad year. Surprise they even did special club bottlings that year. You can tell by the lack of intensity and lenght that this was a vintage ruined by rain in champagne, but gaston makes a very charming cuvee with an super creamy mousse and super fresh and Young despite being deg17 and of a lesser vintage. — 6 years ago

Christina Jones

9.8

A very special birthday gift fro Jay and Tull Solar to Bill. Really delicious. — 8 years ago

Judd Blair

9.5

As far as big houses go, always been a fan of the special cuvée. This is a cut above - lots and lots of biscuit and toast, but very well integrated, bit of dried apricot and a slight tinge of bitter oxidation rounding out this one - fantastic sparkler. — 11 years ago

John Sears

9.7

A special house and land. Meticulous vinification. — 13 years ago

Ted Holland

9.5

Since being stationed in Germany and visiting the Champagne region I have developed a great appreciation for the bubbly and this Bollinger is special. The nose initially is mild and hints of flowers and buiscits. This Pinot forward libation is lucious and goes on with a beautiful finish. Let it rest and open up a bit and I had a distinct nose of chocolate croissant!! Enjoy!!! — 10 months ago

Peter Coulthard

9.1

Coop. Decent Prosecco. Slightly sweet but very drinkable. — 4 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.2

Really great sparkler. Tons of acid and some tropical fruit, citrus, tart green apples really shine, but just enough body to give it some balance. This is clearly all about the acidity though. I could see how some would not enjoy that part of this wine. — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.4

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Cristal for the parents and sparkling apple juice for the twins!

Cristal doesn’t hold a candle to my go to of Bollinger Le Grand Annee, but is always nice on a special occasion! Was very restrained and probably will be better in 5+yrs. — 6 years ago

with Brooke

Shay A

9.2

A few wines from last week’s 4th Friday event!

I was craving some bubbles, so I opened this. For Bollinger, I expected this to be a touch more rich and powerful. What I got was a fairly elegant and finesse driven rosé champagne. Very red berry fruit driven upfront with some strawberry cream, toasted biscuit, and sea salted rhubarb fruit. So energetic on the palate but a fine balance between blanc de noir style vs rosé. Gummy red fruits with some strawberry shortbread and some sweetness toward the finish. I think these are likely better closer to release (as opposed to their special Cuvee sibling, which can be marvelous with a touch of age). — 7 years ago

with Dan

Jennifer Meznarich

10

Special bottle — 11 years ago

BaroloDude

9.1

Great value and very Bollinger-like — 12 years ago

Christopher Hoel

Sommelier/Senior Wine Advisor Soutirage

9.9

Yes. It Krug Savoir Faire Grand Cuvee MV. And it's really special! Extended ageing for Grand Cuvee. Um, yes please! — 13 years ago

Shay A

9.3

I’m at 92-93 here, but this is absolutely going to improve. I should have bought more than just a couple!

Paul Dethune champagnes are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This cuvée is 50/50 (Pinot noir/chard), with 30% coming from their Solera dating back to the 70s.

I’ve said that I feel Petit & Bajan are the equivalent of Bollinger Special Cuvée in grower form, but I stand corrected. THIS is Bolly SC with a grower champagne vibe. Gold in the glass. Aromatics of lemon cream, lemon croissant, golden raspberries, and honeycomb. On the palate, it has the toasted Bolly profile but it’s dialed back a touch…feels more focused. Less expansive, but there’s added power here. Beautifully balanced with the sweet (the fruit, not the dosage) and savory (honey roasted cashews, sea salt). Imagine Bolly SC and a CHeidsieck Blanc de Blanc…you’ve got this. Loved it. — 2 years ago

Willie Carter

9.5

This superstar 2012 vintage just doesn’t seem to miss. Especially not when paired with the elegance of Bollinger.

A gorgeous rose copper color in the glass. Plenty of fine bubbles that seem to just go on and on. The approachability of these outstanding 12’s is immediate. Wild strawberries and herbs shine on the nose. Red currant, raspberries, and stewed plums. Some exquisite spice notes along with white flowers. Tangerines and watermelons play a part.

The vitality and sheer energy of this is amazing. 67% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Verzenay. 33% Chardonnay from Oiry and Le Mesnil sur Oger with 5% still red wine from Bollinger’s legendary Côte aux Enfants vineyard. Terrific youthful tension and balance. Zippy acidity with 8 g/l of sugar. Disgorged in August of 2019 and already showing some maturity.

Pure romance on the tongue. Silky smooth and elegant with fresh red berries and more spice on the palate. Saffron and honey with oak complimenting. The Lehmann Jamesse Grand Blanc provided more floral notes, while the Riedel Dom Perignon showed more ripe fruit and minerality. Both wonderful. Yes this will obviously develop over time and become so much more special but you deserve this now. So do I. Enjoy.
— 5 years ago

Ming L

9.3

Opulent and complex. Green apple, peach, a bit pipe apple, brioche, fresh bread dough, chalk, sea shells, and hint of toasted nuts. Savory and crisp at the same time. Splendid acidity. Super energetic mousse, though lacking a bit refinement.
Base wine is 2011, disgorged 2018. This and the Bollinger Special Cuvée are two of my favorite NV Champaign from larger houses. With 40% reserved wine averaged 10 year old, the CH Brut Reserve no doubt is a better value. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

A few fun 4th Friday wines from tonight.

I snagged a few of these after the Billecart Salmon dinner a few months ago and have slowly checked in on them. In profile, this is more opulent and rich compared to Billecart’s traditionally more lean style. I’d compare this to Bollinger’s Special Cuvee with a touch more caramel. Aromatically, it’s yeasty and bold with buttered English breakfast biscuits, lemon confit, powdered lemon bar and roasted almonds. On the palate, it’s sporting chalky limestone, caramel dipped apple and Mexican vanilla with a hint of marzipan. The mousse here is very fizzy, almost creamy. If you enjoy Billecart’s style but wish for a tad more body/richness to it, this is for you. — 7 years ago

with Weston, Dan and 1 other

Lily Davis

French Wine Specialist at Ottorink Weinbar

10

Special cuvee for Boulud - WORD — 12 years ago

with Michael