Heirs of time
Champagne Bollinger produces outstanding, assertive wines with power, finesse, and complexity that come together in fruit-forward cuvées of incomparable richness. This unique signature style comes from: our particular affection for Pinot Noir, a constant quest for excellence, outstanding terroir, and the savoir-faire that has been carefully passed down, from one generation to the next, since 1829.
At the heart of this tradition, generations of winemakers, coopers, disgorgers and other skilled artisans have contributed to the unique style of Bollinger’s wines. To help fully comprehend the richness of the human talent behind the production of our cuvées, let us take a moment to read the biographies of three people who see this story play out with passion and determination every day at Champagne Bollinger.
Winegrowe
Cécile Lacour joined the Champagne Bollinger team one year ago as a winegrower. She is passionate about her role and works in the Aÿ vineyards, where she tends to the Maison’s signature grape variety: Pinot Noir. Her role is essential, and involves watching over the vines in all seasons, prune it in winter, drive the vegetation growing in summer, and transport the grapes to harvest. She works in harmony with nature and taking weather conditions into account to ensure an optimal harvest.
Cécile embodies the passion required for maintaining the exceptional quality of the grapes which define the Maison’s reputation.
Winemaker
Bérangère Fierfort-Caqué joined the ranks of the Champagne Bollinger team as a winemaker seven years ago. She now holds a important role in the wine team and is also a member of the tasting committee. As such, one of her responsibilities is tasting the vins clairs, or still wines, an essential step in the Maison’s blending process. This phase of the winemaking process is exceptionally important, as a great deal of experience is required to harmonise different reserve wines with wines from the base year to create a unique flavour profile characteristic of the Bollinger style.
Cellier specialist
Damien Monchaussé has been part of the Champagne Bollinger team for 23 years, having joined the Maison in 2001. For the last eight years, he has been the Maison’s Cellier specialist (the Cellier is where the Maison’s barrel vinification takes place) and dedicates most of his time to logistics management. His role begins with the preparation of the harvest. Damien carefully orchestrates the allocation of each cuvée into different barrels as they come in during the harvest. At Bollinger, all of the different crus and grape varieties, for example Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, must be taken into account, while also anticipating and planning for future requirements and working on the barrels during vinification.
In this way, Damien embodies the Maison’s ongoing commitment to preserving the century old savoir-faire it has been developing since its creation in 1829.