On Monday 17th February, Champagne Bollinger launched the much anticipated 2012 vintage of La Grande Année & La Grande Année Rosé.

The wines were presented to guests over a lunch hosted by Bollinger’s General Manager, Charles-Armand de Belenet, at St. JOHN Restaurant with a bespoke pairing menu created by founders Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver, with Head Chef Steve Darou. St. JOHN opened in 1994 in a former smokehouse, situated around the corner from Smithfield Market and is London’s champion of nose-to-tail cooking (and recipient of a very well-deserved Michelin star in 2009).

La Grande Année 2012 was served alongside platters of freshly poached Dorset Langoustines, mayonnaise and crusty bread. This was followed by a phenomenal pairing of La Grande Année Rosé 2012 with an otherworldly Guinea Fowl pie served with mashed potatoes and greens. Finally, for dessert, Bollinger’s non-vintage Rosé en magnum worked wonders with a jaw-droppingly gorgeous Rhubarb tart.

Trevor and Fergus said of their inspiration behind the pairings: “The 2012 vintage of La Grande Année and La Grande Année Rosé was an exceptional year and it has been an honour to create the dishes to pair with these great wines. We have chosen the respective ingredients for each pairing after much careful consideration with the aim of fully expressing the flavours of the dishes and the wines to their full potential.”

Victoria Carfantan, Director of Champagne Bollinger UK, says: “We are delighted to introduce La Grande Année 2012 and La Grande Année Rosé 2012 in the UK, and what better place to launch two such gastronomic cuvées than St. JOHN with an exceptional menu which really allowed the characteristics of the champagnes to shine through.”