Champagne Bollinger launches latest vintage with lavish Ritz restaurant takeover
Aside from the British royal family, only Champagne Bollinger has taken over the restaurant at The Ritz London, which the brand did last week to launch the 2018 vintage of its prestige cuvée, La Grande Année.
Held on Wednesday 25 March, the evening event marked a historic milestone as the inaugural private takeover of The Ritz Restaurant by any business, according to Champagne Bollinger managing director Charles-Armand de Belenet, who came over from France to host the event.
Speaking during the dinner, which featured six courses (see menu, bottom), he stressed the importance of the single harvest release, not only because it hails from the critically-acclaimed 2018 vintage, but also because that year was the start of Champagne Bollinger’s bicentenary plan.
Bollinger to open hotel in 2028
As you can read about here, in 2018 the house began putting in place various ambitious developments to ready itself for its 200th anniversary in 2029 – Champagne Bollinger was founded in 1829.
Part of this has included the creation of “a cathedral-like cellar open to the vines”, as well as “a unique oenotourism site” – which will comprise a visitor centre, slated for completion next year, as well as a Bollinger hotel that will open its doors in 2028.
The London launch of La Grande Année 2018 followed a first showing of the Champagne earlier this month at Bollinger’s base in Aÿ, which db reported on here.
Both a blanc and rosé expression have been created from 2018, which is the first in a trio of exceptional, warm vintages in Champagne, similar to the famed 1988 to 1990 trilogy of fine harvests.
Royal connections
Also addressing attendees at the London launch was The Ritz executive chef John Williams MBE, who stressed that the hotel’s restaurant has only every been closed for Royalty, and now Bollinger too.
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He also pointed that the both Bollinger and The Ritz London have Royal Warrants, before commenting that each operator “strives for perfection”, while applauding the Champagne’s strong connection with the hospitality sector through its partnership with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, whose patron is King Charles III.
80 staff for 80 guests
According to Williams, a team of over 80 people were on hand to look after the guests for the event, which comprised a similar number of attendees.
Also speaking during the dinner was Victoria Carfantan, who is director of Champagne Bollinger UK and global partnerships. She said, “We are so proud to launch La Grande Année 2018 in such an iconic setting, reinforcing its gastronomic quality and close ties to the culinary world.
A mystery wine
As well as La Grande Année 2018 in bottle and magnum, and Bollinger’s Special Cuvée brut NV in both formats, guests enjoyed a ‘mystery wine’, which was served ‘blind’ during the dinner, before Charles-Armand revealed that it was the 1995 vintage.
Champagne Bollinger first launched its high-end single-harvest expression in 1976, although it was branded La Grande Année with the 1997 vintage.
The wine undergoes fermentation in barrels and is riddled and disgorged by hand.
La Grande Année Rosé 2018 get its colour from the addition of 5% red wine from the most southerly part of the four-hectare Côte aux Enfants plot in Aÿ.
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