The Vieilles Vignes Françaises are intrinsically linked with Champagne Bollinger’s history. In the ungrafted vines, there is a memory that was almost lost: an extraordinary reminder of the cultural heritage of the Champagne region before phylloxera. Miraculously, two plots survived this outbreak — Chaudes Terres and Clos Saint-Jacques in Aÿ. Maison Bollinger’s Vieilles Vignes Françaises are made exclusively from these legendary parcels. Both are classified as Grand Cru, and are still grown in the old en foule way, using a traditional layering method known as provignage.  Bollinger continues to make this champagne in the purest tradition of the Champagne region.

“The 2014 Vieilles Vignes Françaises is a stunning, exotic beauty. Silky contours wrap around a core of apricot, tangerine, orange marmalade, spice, ginger, dried flowers and marzipan. The 2014 is a Champagne of real textural breath and intensity. It’s a superb wine in a year that presented numerous challenges along the way. I would prefer to cellar this for a few years. In a word: fabulous. Dosage 4 grams per liter.”
98 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, March 2024