View photos

Champagne Bollinger

Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2006

Champagne, France

Download

Vieilles Vignes Françaises is one of Champagne’s most mythical cuvees, produced from miraculously preserved and ungrafted 100% Pinot Noir vines. Phylloxera destroyed the vines of Champagne in the early 20th century, but amazingly enough two of Bollinger’s classified Grands crus plots, Chaudes Terres and Clos St. Jacques, survived and are still grown the traditional way. Madame Lily Bollinger first had this wine produced in 1969 as an anniversary cuvee to commemorate her 70th birthday. Following the wine’s launch in 1974, Vieilles Vignes Françaises promptly became a collectible and a symbol of a bygone era. Over the decades, its uniqueness and scarcity have made it one of the most sought-after and expensive Champagnes.

VINEYARD

The wine is thought to be the eternal soul of Champagne. It is produced from the only two pre-phylloxera vineyards in the region, Chaudes Terres and Clos St Jacques, in Aÿ. These Grands crus plots are 100% ungrafted Pinot Noir. The vines are grown the traditional way, following the “provinage” method, worked by hand and even sometimes with the help of a cart-horse.

WINEMAKING

Made in the traditional way. This wine ages on the lees for 5-6 years, more than twice the time required by the appellation. It has moderate dosage of 4 g/l.

VINTAGE

At Bollinger, only very high quality harvests become a vintage. The 2006 vintage was an exceptional year in Champagne, producing expressive and supple wines. A hot start to summer caused concern for maturation, but warm and bright conditions at the start of September helped ensure the full impact of the fruit. The parcels of Vieilles Vignes Françaises were harvested on September 14. In total, there were 3,000 numbered bottles produced for the world.

TASTING NOTES

This wine is a true gift to experience. Very intense, characteristic of a mature vintage. There is a perfume of quince, honey, dried apricots and candied fruit flavors that invite us in. Tertiary aromas of grilled, toasted bread are balanced by a round, creamy mouthfeel with an effervescence that melts into the wine. A saline, mineral finish offers incredible length with exceptional richness and maturity.

PAIRING

The 2006 can be enjoyed with any beautiful dish, but can also be savored on its own. Collectors will share it thoughtfully in order to experience its unmatched flavors in the company of others – so in those cases, we recommend white caviar and Alba truffle to complement the wine.

Color

White

Grape Varieties

Pinot Noir

Appellation

Champagne, France

Farming

The two remaining pre-phylloxera plots used for this wine are grown the traditional way, following the “provinage” method, worked by hand and even sometimes with the help of a cart-horse.

Suggested Retail Price

$1050

Reviews

98

Decanter - January 4, 2019 “The legendary product of two tiny plots of ungrafted, untrellised Pinot Noir in Aÿ, this is a cuvée of profound concentration and ripeness. In sheer persistence it takes Champagne to a higher plateau, with red Burgundy-like expansiveness and a flourish of theatrical proportions. Yet for all its flamboyance it has been expertly controlled, a revelation of line and length, enduring into tomorrow. Profound and strong, yet ever so fit.”

More on Champagne Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2006

View all

Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises: A Rare Prestige Cuvée

January 4, 2019 - Decanter's MW Charles Curtis reports on the ultra rare Champagne Bollinger's Vielles Vinges Francasies: a blanc de noirs with an extreme cult following. Curtis elaborates that the champagne is fought…

Trade Materials

View all

Bottle Images

Champagne Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises Bottle Shot

Other Wines by this Producer

View all

La Côte aux Enfants Champagne

Champagne, France

Established by Jacques Bollinger between 1926 and 1934, La Côte aux Enfants is a steep hillside vineyard located on the outskirts of Aÿ.  This unique parcel has been a source of endless fascination, producing some of the most highly prized Pinot Noir in the region. Aware of its potential, it became Champagne Bollinger’s ambition to produce a great vintage Champagne exclusively from this vineyard, with 100% Pinot Noir. The fruit comes from the north-west side of the hill, revealing a particularly refined expression of La Côte aux Enfants vineyard.

B13

Champagne, France

B13 stands for ‘Bollinger 2013’ as showcased by the unique logotype that both resembles the letter ‘B’ and the number ‘13’. This limited edition Blanc de Noirs from the 2013 vintage is characterized by its freshness and precision, and is composed of 100% Pinot Noir, predominantly from Bollinger’s ancestral home of Äy.

PN

Champagne, France

PN, made entirely from Pinot Noir to underscore the very essence and DNA of the House style, is the first new cuvée added to Bollinger’s permanent range since rosé in 2008. Each release of PN, developed as a series to bring Bollinger’s unique vision of Pinot Noir to light, will showcase a different cru from the base year that highlights its distinctive terroir and taste.

James Bond Limited Edition

Champagne, France

This limited edition cuvée celebrates 2 important milestones. Firstly, it celebrates the historic partnership between Bollinger and Bond. Bollinger has been the exclusive Champagne partner of Bond since 1979, so 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of their relationship. Secondly, it celebrates the release of the upcoming movie, No Time to Die, which will be the 25th movie in the series (and Bollinger’s 15th Bond movie since the start of the partnership).

La Côte aux Enfants

Champagne, France

A stunning and extremely rare, still red wine produced only for the greatest vintages. This wine harmoniously combines 100% Pinot Noir Grand Cru fruit from an exceptional vineyard with traditional Burgundian style winemaking. Historically, Pinot Noirs from Aÿ were the most popular wines of the French court, specifically a favorite of King Henri IV, and La Côte aux Enfants comes from a steep plot just outside of the village. This wine is the purest expression of Pinot Noir, offering a fine, delicate texture in the mouth, and a tautness giving it a beautifully long finish.

La Grande Année Rosé

Champagne, France

Lily Bollinger agreed to a Bollinger rosé under one condition, it had to be extraordinary, and that is how La Grande Année Rosé was born. A blend like no other, the wine is as an extension to the House's prestige cuvée, La Grande Année, as is the subtle marriage between this great vintage Champagne and the addition of red wine from a unique plot, the legendary Côte aux Enfants.

R.D.

Champagne, France

A small revolution in the world of Champagne. In 1967, Bollinger releases R.D. 1952.  There is no comparable Champagne on the market at the time. This bold and brilliant Champagne takes the pillars of what makes Champagne Bollinger so unique, and pushes them to their ultimate level. It is, very simply, a masterpiece.

Special Cuvée

Champagne, France

From vineyard to bottling, Special Cuvée sees such an extraordinary level of care and attention, it is difficult to place within the non-vintage or, really, any Champagne category. It is a Champagne that stands apart.  Within one bottle, all the complexity of flavor, texture and pleasure that Champagne can offer.  Special Cuvée is truly a journey of devotion from Bollinger.

Rosé

Champagne, France

In the same way that Special Cuvée stands apart from non-vintage Champagnes, Bollinger Rosé is an exception for Rosé Champagnes. What is more, it is a relative secret, as Bollinger did not release a non-vintage Rosé until 2008 and the quantity produced is quite limited. The wine begins as Special Cuvée and then Bollinger's specialty as the Pinot Noir producer in Champagne takes center stage, as the red fruits that join the conversation dance vibrantly, the finish has just a hint of perfectly ripe tannin, and the deep complexity of the wine shines through transparently.