Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année 2008
The launch of the 2008 vintage of Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année commenced in the UK at the two Michelin starred restaurant The Ledbury in April. Head Chef Brett Graham, created his perfect pairings for the 2008 vintage, first the spectacular Duchy Estate Helford Oyster, organically grown for 14 years and reaching up to 10 inches in length, was followed by the antioxidant packed and enigmatic Hen of The Wood mushroom.
La Grande Année 2008 is the perfect cuvée to celebrate the finest gastronomic pairings, this epicurean journey is set to continue with a selection of Britain’s finest chefs, bringing their talents together to work on a series of dishes. Each dish will focus on a signature ingredient to pair with La Grande Année 2008. These pairings will be featured for a limited period in their restaurants throughout 2019 and include; Ollie Dabbous of Hide using Crab, Gareth Ward of Ynyshir using Cod, Atul Kochhar of Kanishka using Duck, Stephane Delourme of Seafood Restaurant using Lobster, Lisa Goodwin-Allen of Northcote using Petrossian Caviar, Tom Kitchin of The Kitchin using Langoustine, Peter Joseph of Kahani using Coconut Prawns and Chris Denney of 108 Garage using Celeriac.
The 2008 vintage is also Bollinger’s first prestige cuvée to have been aged in the “1846” Bollinger bottle, with its unique and identifying shape that offers beneficial properties for the quality of the wine. This bottle has been completely redesigned, inspired by a 19th-century bottle discovered in the Bollinger cellars which dates back to 1846. The idea in using the curved shape of the bottle is to aim for the perfect balance of a “small magnum” with a narrower neck and a wider base, to slightly slow down the oxygen exchange and therefore give a better quality wine with longer ageing potential.
“Producing every bottle of La Grande Année requires patience and precision, and is only possible thanks to the work of the men and women of Bollinger, whose artisinal methods have been passed down from generation to generation.” Gilles Descôtes, Chef de Cave.