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. — 23 days ago

emilie cycz

10

Vibrant, and fresh. Flavor has that of fresh apple and berries. Amazing — 4 years ago

with Maggie

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.6

Vibrant, fleshy and absolutely focus.
So fresh and enjoyable
Super long after taste that keeps tingling on your tongue
At peak
Better than 95% of the Brunellos. — 5 years ago

Martin Bergo

9.7

My third and last bottle. The previous bottle was enjoyed in 2015 at which point it still had a laser-focused precision with sky-high acids and pumping energy. Now, the wine was more rounded and developed; the nose highly mineral, smokey, and with vanillin, citrus, and liquorice notes; the mousse was creamy and still vibrant but clearly less than in -15; taste was fruit forward with citrus, peach, and apples, and with brioche and some tertiary flavours like trouffles and green herbs. Very elegant and the best I’ve had to date. Happy New Year. — 5 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.1

Summertime Chenin. Should have been a hit song. Exuberant & vibrant fruit. Incredibly fresh acid. Aromatics are like being in an orchard of the ripest apples. Brilliant stuff. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.1

I find myself between scores on this wine, but the reason I’m pushing it to 91 is because it showed better (for my preferred taste) on day two, suggesting more time in the cellar could slightly improve this. To me, this is almost totally Chablis like, though it’s just missing a hint of steeliness. Lemon oil, honeysuckle, and crushed rocks on the nose. Day 1 showed razor sharp acidity...electric like. Day 2 it became a touch more rounded. My first remark about this wine to someone was “it’s like licking fresh squeezed lemon juice off of limestone”. Tart, vibrant and definitely best with food. Day 2 added some stone fruits and a touch more sweetness to the finish. My thanks to @David T for introducing me to this producer, who I’m starting to hear about more and more often. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Had this over a year ago, this is a new batch, a Fav! Rodolphe Péters took over the reins of this venerable estate in the southern Côte des Blancs in 2008, becoming the fourth generation to lead since the estate was founded in 1919, under the name Camille Péters. 100% Chardonnay, Crisp, fine mousse with steady flow of bubbles. Citrus, and biscuit aromas. Fresh fruit flavors of peach, apples and lemons, smooth and dry. Long mineral finish ending with elegance. Nice! — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

9.6

Drinking this pre-release bottle of this iconic wine from Bordeaux.

Light gold in color.

Strong nose and Full-bodied.

Sweet on the palate with high acidity to balance the sugars.

Showing melons, tropical fruits, apples, light earth, guava, herbs, spices, papaya and honey notes.

Long finish with herbs and tropical fruits.

This is a gorgeous sweet wine from Bordeaux. Sexy, seductive and fresh. Creamy and buttery.

Showing great potential, but oh so young. Already delicious and complex. Round, opulent and powerful.

Loved the nose once it opened up (20 minutes in the glass).

Rich and extracted. Fruit forward and intense, yet elegant. Well balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food. Drunk from a Magnum.

A blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.
154 g/l sugar.

14% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$500. — 4 months ago

Conrad Green

9.0

Shiny and fresh. Good bright fruit. Apricot, apples. With time in glass it’s developed a slightly candied finish — 4 years ago

Willie Carter

9.3

Oh my, what an absolute joy. This right here sings the song I want to hear. A pale old gold color in the glass. Perfectly precise perlage with a plethora of tiny, fine bubbles and showcasing innate creaminess. The nose is slightly intense opening with aromas of hazelnut, chalk, and lemon zest. Warm buttered brioche takes over for a moment full of bliss then a bit of smoke. Juicy peaches and pears commingle with fresh herbs and spices.

100% Chardonnay from the five Grand Cru villages of Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, and Mesnil-sur-Oger. The tête de cuvée of Champagne Taittinger and it shows. It’s a very noble, prestigious champagne that matches complexity with downright deliciousness. The juxtaposition between luxury and comfort is evident here. Like coming out of a bath and slipping on your finest robe. The racy acidity and exquisitely dry nature of the wine belies the dosage of 9 g/l.

Very creamy in the mouth and though it starts off a bit demanding, it soon becomes so inviting after some time. Every sip demands the proper time and contemplation. Chalky and rich, positively bursting with citrus fruits. Apples and toast everywhere along with gun flint and more smoke. Medium long finish with traces of spice. A powerful, graceful champagne that’s full of finesse. This can go for decades longer but if you open it now sit with it for a while. Give it the proper time. You might fall in love just a little. — 4 years ago

Arden Barnett

8.9

Fun natty Grenache. Crunchy, vibrant nose full of red fruit liqueur. Notes of mushrooms, earthy, fresh cracked black pepper lead to a juicy tannic finish. Nice to finally try a Commando G wine. Not sure if it’s as good as it’s hyped up to be by some. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

The 2019 Rocca di Montegrossi Rosato is gorgeous, both spicy and floral, with zesty bright cherry and a hint of grapefruit. On the palate, silky, soothing textures usher in ripe red fruits offset by vibrant acids, as hints of sweet spice and salty minerals buzz on the senses. The finish is medium in length and remarkably fresh. (Eric Guido, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago

James Webb

9.7

Life is short - drink vintage Champagne. Hugely complex nose. It’s brown sugar, poached Granny Smith apples, but underneath a tropical baked pineapple note. Tertiary notes of deep white flowers and lemon. This juxtaposition between fresh, bright fruit, and deeply brooding rich sugary toasty notes is...Truly stunning. The nose is one of the most complex in Champagne I can recall to date. Goes on with autolysis but with cinnamon and sugar. Gorgeous. The palette snaps alive with malic notes, good acid, the wine is still quite alive. It goes on and on, the green apple provides such freshness. The mid palette is expansive and rich, it’s teeming soft tannins. The finish is long and beautiful, it begs for another sip. — 7 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.8

(Disg. 12/14) One of the best bottles of Selosse in recent memory, the coveted 2008 base Initial is an absolute stunner, still incredibly fresh and vibrant with off the charts complexity and captivating Selossien aromatics, a rich, powerful and textural palate with layered minerality and a finish that just doesn’t end. Amazing wine. — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

My new Favorite white, just love mountain fruit! Named for mountain range dividing Napa & Sonoma, old stone winery dug into side of dormant volcano crater in 1889, remained in production ever since. Pale lemon with aromas of Tropical and stone fruit with complex spice and floral notes. On the palate flavors of apple, pear and citrus with light oak and nutty tones, fresh and vibrant, well integrated. Long finish ending with fruit and flinty mineral characteristics. Long aging potential. Nice! — 4 years ago

Neil Blaze

9.2

I'm not typically a big fan of Chardonnay, but this one was delicious. Crisp, fresh, and clean, though the flavors took a while to open up. A couple hours after opening, I tasted some nice yellow apples and ripe pears with just a touch of oak. 100% Chardonnay. 1/30/22. — 4 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

🍇2019 Ronco del Gnemiz Friulano San Juan
Enchanting and thrilling with a lovely texture. Somehow it reminds me of a mix of a white Burgundy and high quality Sancerre. A wine that is right up my alley. Serve it at 12 degrees in a generous Burgundy glass. Serve it with something tasty. 

Good concentration on the nose that opens up with some green apples, grape fruit and elder flower that is soon overtaken by richer characters of juicy peaches, orange and honey. Toasted nuts and a pronounced crushed fruit mineralogy brings further complexity.
Full bodied and a generous entry with a balancing fresh acidity. Pronounced fruit concentration and strong mid palate yet with a slime waste and lovely salty texture that brings nerve and tension through a very solid finish. Well Done! — 5 years ago

Byron C Mayes

9.0

Pale gold with tiny persistent bubbles. Inviting nose and palate of ripe golden apples, ripe peaches, and clover honey. Light and fizzy on the tongue. Sweet (of course) but balanced with refreshing acidity. Short-ish finish, but you’re likely taking another sip before that matters. The gold standard for Moscato. A lovely treat on its own, with fresh fruit, or with lightly sweet dessert crepes. Also a great pair with the exceptionally spicy dishes that my dining partner likes to make (remember, “Sweet beats heat!”). Stop fronting. You know that you like this stuff. Drink now. — 6 years ago

with Jay

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.7

The 2012 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Chanpagne is a thrilling, dense new offering from this historic house. On the nose this takes on rich brioche and baked Pazzaz apple flavors that combine with lighter kumquat and marzipan tones that all meld in the glass. Fresh and vibrant, with a remarkably silky mousse, the weight and richness of this wine is impressive, while the bright character provides a wonderful foil. Rich layers of lemon zest dusted brioche with toasted hazelnut and Gravenstein apple with lighter vanilla cream and starfruit tones seamlessly combine on the palate. As several hours develop, the wine pieces itself together more magically with the intense citrus components melding with its weighty stature. Marvelous at this stage in its development, the 2012 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Chanpagne will have an exceedingly long life ahead of it. Try to give this at least another year of bottle development before savoring. Drink 2021-2040- 97 — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Last night’s “Evening With Krug” event, where they officially released their 2006 vintage. Beautiful evening with many different Krug offerings paired with a delicious meal.

The reason for the occasion. Loved trying this next to the ‘04 as they are completely different beasts at the moment. This is strutting Krug’s classic style of round, rich and opulent profile. The warm vintage has this totally open for business now, but obviously only getting better. Bakers yeast, toffee, and lemon pastry aromatics. Very fresh and inviting on the palate revealing golden caramel dipped apples, honeysuckle and nougat. Delicious. — 7 years ago

with Jason, joe and 3 others