Bolly At The Pen

You know, I’d forgotten how good Bollinger Champagne actually is and it took dinner last Friday night to remind me of such. I guess it’s because it’s been such a long time since I last tried it. Over dinner in The Peninsula’s Verandah restaurant I, and the elite of Hong Kong’s wine writing circle (so I have no idea how I got in!) got together with Jerome Philipon, President of Champagne Bollinger for dinner to taste a few of his wines and, pretty much let loose on a Friday night.

Having been to the hotel’s Chinese restaurant twice the week prior to dinner and having been somewhat less than enthused by the food and the pairings, it was great to have a dinner that matched the wines on show and where a choice of veal or fish was available with the red wine course – yes, Bollinger make a red wine, but I’ll tell you about that later.

We kicked off proceedings with a few glasses of Bollinger Special Cuvée NV to get everyone in the mood and, as the ‘Festival of Light’ shone above the Victoria Harbour skyline we sat down to what was the beginning of an exceptional meal, paired alongside some exceptional and in one case, hard to find wines.

“Champagne should be fun and it should not be taken too seriously”, says Mr. Philipon as we engaged the first course, Boston Lobster and white asparagus salad paired with Bollinger Rosé NV. “Lobster, crab and salmon are a great pairing for Champagne”, says Mr. Philipon and, as expected, the dish and the pairing did not disappoint. The delicate flavour of the lobster was a perfect match for the light and elegant nature of the rosé and, while gazing down at the Lamborghini and Ferrari laden drive way of the Peninsula, it was easy to imagine yourself somewhere close to nirvana.

“Bollinger Rosé is unique and is not heavy”, says Mr. Philipon. “It’s elegant and a blend of just 5 per cent red wine, as opposed to many other Champagne houses which use over 8 per cent red wine in their blending”.

Next we had a Quail Ravioli with Madeira sauce paired with the Bollinger La Grande Année 2004 which was a delightful pairing as the vintage Champagne really highlighted the gamey nature of the quail. It was, in short, an exquisite pairing.

“La Grande Année is exclusively made from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards from the thirty best villages in Champagne and is a blend of 62 per cent Pinot Noir and 38 per cent Chardonnay”, says Mr. Philipon. “It really is the epitome of Bollinger’s style”.

Going on, Mr. Philipon noted that; “If you don’t like La Grande Année, then you had better leave right now”! It was noticeable that no one got up, packed their bags as headed for the door as the wine was lovely, the pairing was brilliant and the present company was eager for more!

 After a brief introduction to Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2004 the fish dish was served – Sea Perch baked in avocado and caramelised onion crust on a creamy mushroom stew with lemon butter sauce. I must say the creamy texture of the avocado was an exceptional match to the weighty and smooth texture of the Champagne and the morel mushrooms were an extraordinary pairing. If there is a rosé to epitomize the summer, then this could very well be it.

‘And now for something completely different’; as the saying made notorious by Monty Python goes. Bollinger La Cote aux Enfants 2002 is the very limited production and release red wine made by Bollinger. It is, as one would expect, a Pinot Noir and is made in very limited quantities and not made every year. The name, according to Mr. Philipon, is said to come from “a legendary steep slope at the back of the house of Bollinger which is a very premium plot of land”.

“Only kids could harvest the grapes from this slope according to legend as it was so steep. It may be named as such because of this factor but it also may be actually called Cote aux Enfer – the slope of hell”!

“The wine is a pure Pinot Noir and is comparable to any outstanding Cotes de Nuits in Burgundy”, says Mr. Philipon. I have to say the wine is unique and outstanding, very interesting with minimal tannin, very smooth on the palate and full of character. It’s also much better than many of the Burgundy wines I have tried in my life and to me was almost Swiss in style – it tasted not unlike a Swiss Pinot from Neuchatel I had recently.

Anyway, it was paired with a Dutch milk-fed Veal fillet poached in red wine with roasted green asparagus and made for a very good pairing indeed. The veal was tender and perfectly cooked whilst the wine subtle and by no means over bearing. This wine is worth getting and putting away in your cellar as we were drinking the 2002 vintage which seemed young and fresh, although the current release is 2009 and will be available in Hong Kong in a few more months.

We closed off the dinner with a warm strawberry and rhubarb clafoutis with yoghurt sherbet and thought it prudent not to finish off the rest of the remaining Champagne! Rosé Champagne and dessert….yum! It was, overall, an exceptional meal and was paired with some incredible Champagnes. I loved the Grand Année Rosé 2004 and was taken aback by the quality and uniqueness of the Cote aux Enfants 2002, two wines I most certainly will be needing in my cellar in due course.

It just goes to show how versatile a wine Champagne is and how addictive it is as once you’ve had your first glass of the night it’s hard to image yourself drinking anything else!

Bollinger Champagne is exclusively available from Jebsen Fine Wines in Hong Kong. For more information contact Marco Vazquez on marcovazquez@jebsen.com or call them on (+852) 2926 2269