The Bollinger Family to Acquire Oregon’s Famed Ponzi Vineyards

The Bollinger family, owners of iconic Champagne Bollinger in addition to four other historic estates in France, announce the upcoming acquisition of their first winery in the United States, with the purchase of Oregon’s famed Ponzi Vineyards. The transaction will unite the Bollinger family with the Ponzi family, building on the legacy the Ponzis have established as one of Oregon’s original wineries, leading the success and growth of the region’s Pinot Noir over the last 50 years.

Bollinger family holding group Chairman & CEO Etienne Bizot comments, “The United States is such an important market for luxury Champagne, Burgundy, Sancerre, Cognac, and other regions in which our family owns wineries. If there was anywhere outside of France where we felt it was critical to invest, it is in the U.S. We have quietly considered opportunities for a number of years, but it is finally with the Ponzi family that we feel we have found the ideal fit. Their bold vision to come to Oregon, the subsequent decades of recognition for continually innovating and improving – we have so much respect for what the Ponzis have achieved, and look forward to building on it together, and connecting all our brands more closely with the U.S. market.”

“We have dedicated our lives to demonstrating Oregon’s Willamette Valley as one of the greatest places on the planet for producing cool climate, high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” remarks Luisa Ponzi, the winery’s recognized leading winemaker who trained in Burgundy. “This transaction makes sense for our respective families because of our well-aligned values and shared commitment to producing wines of the very highest quality.”

“It gives us immense satisfaction to have the opportunity to pass our legacy winery on to the Bollinger family, who will continue to elevate the brand on a global scale,” Winery president Anna Maria Ponzi shares. “This is the natural next step for our brand and winery.”

The purchase includes the winery and hospitality facilities 40 minutes from Portland, Oregon in addition to 35 acres of vineyard land in the newly established Laurelwood District AVA. The winery has been an introduction to the region for countless numbers of people through not only visits but major events that the Ponzi family has been instrumental in creating and supporting, such as the International Pinot Noir Celebration, Oregon Pinot Camp and the Salud Pinot Noir Barrel Auction.

Under the leadership of a new CEO, whose recruitment is ongoing, Anna Maria will continue to lead the sales & marketing over the transition period and Luisa will remain as the Director of Viticulture and Winemaking. The Ponzi family will retain 100 acres of vineyard land and will grow and sell the grapes to Ponzi Vineyards under a long-term contract.

VINTUS, current Ponzi Vineyards national sales and marketing agent, and importer of Champagne Bollinger, Champagne Ayala, Domaine Chanson and Langlois-Chateau, will continue to represent Ponzi’s trade distribution in the United States.

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Celebrating 40 Years of Bollinger and James Bond

Champagne Bollinger is celebrating its 40th-year partnership with James Bond with a Limited Edition Millésimé 2011.

To mark the release of the upcoming movie No Time To Die, the 25th installment of the James Bond series, Bollinger has created a limited-edition dedicated to 007, with a 2011 vintage. The jet-black 75cl bottle is adorned with the number “25”, formed from the titles of the previous films, which are similarly etched on the glass of the wooden box. The 2011 vintage, created entirely from Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, where the House was first established in 1829. This is the first time that both the vintage and village have been used exclusively by Bollinger to make a dedicated wine. The 2011 harvest in Aÿ, produced complex, powerful and harmonious Pinot Noirs, fully expressed in this characterful wine.

Released by pre-sale on 5 October to mark James Bond Day, with an RRP of £150.

Tasting notes:

The decision to use Pinot Noir for this 2011 vintage, exclusively from the home village of Aÿ with its mighty fruit is nothing short of brilliant. Perhaps wait about ten years until the wine has reached its peak and completely integrated its enormous fruit with the barrel notes, but the wine is already magnificent with its deep ripe aroma of apples, backed by fresh wooden notes. House typical and powerful.

The first bottle of Bollinger appeared alongside 007 in 1979 with the release of Moonraker. Since then, the association has gone on to inspire numerous limited-edition bottles, with the Bollinger cooperage also home to a collection of vintage Bond posters.

Commenting on this milestone, Etienne Bizot, CEO of Société Jacques Bollinger, states: “It brings me an immense amount of pride to be celebrating 40 years of partnership between Bollinger and James Bond, it is a testament to the friendship started in 1979, between my father Christian Bizot and James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli. A friendship based on our shared values such as excellence and elegance.”

www.champagne-bollinger.com

 

Queen Elizabeth Ends Every Day with a Glass of Champagne

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning English monarch, ends each night with a glass of champagne.

Her majesty’s cousin Margaret Rhodes reports that Elizabeth II drinks at least one glass of champagne before bed. The exact brand of her nightly libation is unknown, it’s almost certainly one of the eight brands that have been granted royal warrants, including Bollinger, Krug, Lanson, and Pol Roger.

 

Not Shaken, Not Stirred – What is James Bond’s Champagne of Choice?

bol2As a connoisseur of all things fine, what does James Bond drink?

Champagne seems to be high on his list. From Sir Roger Moore KBE to Daniel Craig choices include some of the top champagne houses: Dom Perignon, Taittinger, and Bollinger.

Bollinger seems to be the front runner as it has been featured in 14 Bond films, starting with Live and Let Die in 1973 staring Roger Moore – vintage and style unknown.

Also in Moonraker, Octopussy, The Living Daylights, A View to Kill, License to Kill, and Skyfall James Bond shows a preference for Bollinger RD – vintages include 1969, 1975, 1979, and 1997.

He switches to one of my favourites in 1995 to Bollinger La Grand Année in Goldeneye and also drinks it in Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Vintages include 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995 and 1999.

To celebrate the release of SPECTRE this October, Bollinger has launched the Champagne Bollinger Spectre Limited Edition. This unique Bollinger cuvée is from the 2009 vintage, notable for its aromatic elegance.

Liz Palmer

Bollinger has named Gilles Descotes its new Chef de Cave.

Descotes joined the famous Champagne House in 2003 and worked his way up to technical director, a role he held since last July. He will be responsible for the production of Champagne up to the point of shipping, the supply of grapes and the House’s vineyards.

President Jérôme Philipon said: “He has shown, over the course of the last 10 years, the great leadership qualities required to assist Champagne Bollinger in its controlled growth.”

Descôtes added: “It is with the greatest respect for the ‘savoir-faire’ of Champagne Bollinger that I accept this post. My experience at the heart of this House will help me continue its development through maintaining the style and excellence of its cuvees.”

To support Descôtes and his team, and to assist with his new responsibilities, Bollinger has decided to create the role of deputy chef de cave.

Denis Bunner, who has worked for the Comite Champagne since 2002 and is currently head of oenology, will join Gilles Descotes and the team in this role on September 2.

Bunner said: “My goal is to use my experience in viticulture and vinification to serve the ambitions of Champagne Bollinger, in accordance with the quality requirements of the House.”