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Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2018 Brut and Rosé

20 March 2026 By Giles Fallowfield

Bollinger has released its 2018 La Grande Année Brut and Rosé, marking the first in a trio of exceptional warm vintages in Champagne that could rival the famed 1988 to 1990 run. The wines were introduced at a lavish dinner in Aÿ, showcasing both the house’s heritage and the character of the vintage.

Bollinger has launched La Grande Année Brut and Rosé, from the 2018 harvest, the first of three fine, warm vintages, all of which are likely to be declared in Champagne in a trilogy likely to match or even surpass 1988 to 1990.

The two new LGA wines were introduced at a spectacular, celebratory dinner last week in Aÿ at Bollinger’s newly finished, but still mostly empty barrel room, attended by over 50 international guests. The meal was put together by the two Troisgros brothers, César and Léo, who bought their three-star Michelin cuisine plus their kitchen (literally) and nearly their entire kitchen brigade from Burgundy to produce a scintillating banquet.

A showcase of food and wine pairing

White La Grande Année 2018 was served in bottle and magnum, the latter notably fresher and more energetic, with dishes of caviar and cabbage (far grander than it sounds) and ‘Langoustines draped with truffle’. Smothered might have been closer to the mark, with the Troisgros brothers cutting up and cooking the large slices of truffle in champagne at the table end, to adorn the dish.

To follow came bottles of LGA Rosé, cleverly matched to accompany an extraordinarily imaginative dish, duckling in aiguillettes, with shiso. While the mystery wine Bollinger generously served turned out to be LGA 1995, as was served with Caves Antony fine cheeses from Alsace, whose owner Bertrand Athony was also present.

Composition and winemaking

La Grande Année 2018, the last vintage made by former chef de cave Gilles Descôtes, is a 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay blend that comes from 19 different crus, with Aÿ and Verzenay providing the foundations, supported by Mareuil-sur-Aÿ for Pinot Noir and Avize, Chouilly and Cuis for Chardonnay. Wholly made from grands and premiers crus, vinification is carried out exclusively in old oak barrels, and it was disgorged with a relatively light 6g/l dosage.

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The character of the 2018 vintage

The 2018 growing season was marked by a very wet winter, and budburst was relatively late. A very mild spring then sped up the vegetative cycle, with floraison taking place around ten days earlier than average. A long period of hot, dry weather set in from mid-June onwards, reducing disease pressure and allowing the grapes to reach optimum maturity while remaining in perfect health.

Picking started for Bollinger in Aÿ and Verzenay on the 23rd of August. The Pinot Noirs from the Montagne de Reims were particularly remarkable, with generously proportioned grapes, concentrated juice, and flawlessly balanced ripeness, and you can see the attractive, juicy, ripe fruit of that glorious warm summer, but there is also a fine balancing acidity. In magnum, the tension, freshness and energy of the wine are considerably amplified, suggesting that despite the relatively forward fruit, this wine is a long keeper.

Rosé expression and balance

La Grande Année Rosé 2018 comes from a similar blend (67% Pinot Noir/33% Chardonnay) with the addition of 5% red wine from the most southerly part of the steep four-hectare Côte aux Enfants plot in Aÿ. At the launch of the wines in Aÿ last week, we also had the chance to taste the component parts of this cuvée, which demonstrated that as the climate in Champagne steadily warms, making attractive red wine has become increasingly easy in summers like 2018, with potential alcohol levels comfortably over 11 degrees.

However, in this LGA Rosé they have managed to retain the attractive, crunchy red berry fruit which nicely balances out the wine and proved a great match at the dinner, cutting the fattiness of the Troisgros duck dish it was served with.