Sciences Po International Tasting at Bollinger

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be selected to go as part of a St Andrews team of three to a tasting competition held at Bollinger, organised by the Parisian university Sciences Po. It was a competition unlike any I have done so far, with questions ranging from theoretical (about grapes permitted in specific regions, average prices, etc) to practical (arrange the following wines in order of age, which is not French and where is it from?). With twelve other university teams competing from all over Europe, the competition was fierce: the MC allowed teams between 30 seconds and 3 minutes per question depending on the difficulty, leaving little room for too much speculation. Three teams proceeded to a final round where they were given a Champagne and a red, along with 3 minutes, before presenting their findings to the judges and other competitors.

Bollinger La Grande Année Rose 1999, 2002, 2004

These sort of questions force you to focus on particular aspects of different wines and I found really helped to break up the components of each. Take, for example, the first practical question in the Champagne section. We were presented with 3 Bollinger La Grande Année Rosés and asked to sort them by age. Instead of approaching the nose and palate looking for hints of what the grape make-up could potentially be, we had to look for oak exposure, development of yeast (noting time spent ageing on the lees), strength and integration of the bubbles and complexity of the palate, all of which could indicate specifically how old a wine is. By breaking each section down into a specific aspect of the wines, I found a greater appreciation for all the factors that make up a particular bottle.

The first Rosé was dark in colour, a deep pink, with orange tinges. It showed a great deal of muscovado sugar, toasted brioche and currant flavours, but also had a strong acidity that suggested age, but perhaps not too much. It was a wine with a powerful and voluptuous palate that clearly was from a stellar vintage. The second was much more integrated as a whole mouthful, with softer acidity and lengthy sweet berry flavours, candied peel and buttery pastry. It was, however, not quite as dark in colour, and appeared lighter in consistency. The third showed a much stronger acidity and plenty of citrus on the nose. It was the lightest of the three and the palate didn't have the composure and length of the first two. Having said this, it still was a vintage Bollinger thought worthy of making a single release from, and clearly was very high quality! From that, the third would appear the youngest, while the first and second are tougher: either the first is marginally older (because of colour and power of flavour), or the second is older (because of complexity, development) and the first is just outstanding quality. As it happened, the latter was the case, with the first being 2002, the second 1999 and the third 2004.

Jeroboams ageing on the lees

Following the competition, we were treated to a tour of the Bollinger caves. This was particularly fascinating for a number of reasons for me: as well as being famous for ageing their wines far beyond what is required, Bollinger is one of relatively few Champagne houses that use oak barrels for fermentation (4,500 in total). That, along with their high percentage of Pinot Noir in every release (a minimum of 60%), gives a strong and robust wine, with a great deal of body. Looking down at the ageing process, it is clear to see that the house is obsessed with producing wine of the highest quality. The still wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier) which make up their final blend are fermented first mostly in oak barrels. From there, many are bottled into magnums and left in the cellars to age: the reasoning being that magnums provide the perfect sized container for ageing. After that, the still wines are blended to whatever cépage is desired and rebottled with yeast for a second fermentation. They are then left to ferment and age on the lees and are turned a few degrees every day in order to keep the yeast contact high: a process called riddling. We were told a single riddler can turn up to 25,000 bottles per day by hand - definitely needed when the cellars hold over 10 million bottles, all at different stages of the process.

Pinot Noir vines at Champagne Bollinger

My second visit to Champagne has only increased my appreciation for the wines that are grown there - hopefully it won't be the last! Bollinger's astonishing ageing process is certainly evident in their wines and there will be shorter reviews of certain cuvées coming soon so watch out for those for any tips. Huge thanks must go to Sciences Po for organising such a fantastic and challenging competition.