James Suckling: Looking the part with a keenly struck trade-off between freshness and complexity, there's plenty of pinot-derived red fruit on the nose, as well as biscuity, mellow, sweet spices and fragrance. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

Aged in oak casks and then in bottle Bollinger has created a fabulous, fine fizz with nuanced, succulent flavours. At Bollinger, the brick walls, exposed wood floors, aged casks and rustic charm convey the beauty and tradition of a Champagne family, who have spent 158 years perfecting their secret of discreet luxury, the key to which lies in the quality and the detail of their wines. They were the first Champagne House to be awarded a Royal Warrant in 1884, by the Court of England, which it has held ever since.

In the making of this champagne, reserve wines aged in magnum bottles in the private Bollinger cellar are used that only make up 10% of the cuvée – this fact makes this cuvée very special. Drinks will be chilled in 30-45 minutes and will be kept cold for several hours, especially if kept in the shade. A richer broader style of Champagne due to its greater percentage of Pinot Noir in the blend, and a touch of oak ageing. Bolly is one of the most arresting of all Champagnes because the wines are fermented in oak barrels, giving the flavour an extra dimension of power and nobility. The creamy character of this cuvée is due to the special production process in which some of the wines are fermented.

The bold, powerful palate has a fine silky texture and a stylishly mellow mousse, leaving room for the vinosity to build in the glass. The palate has a flinty austeritywith Braeburn apple, white pepper and subtle spice followed by yeasty richnessand a brisk finish. Aromatic, with accents of bread dough, smoked almond and crÔme de cassis, this creamy Champagne is lightly chalky in texture and framed by firm acidity, with flavors of glazed apricot, orange blossom and rich hints of clover honey and coffee liqueur. If you want to impress avoid the tacky labels like Veuve and Moet, and stick to something that has both heritage and class.In the late 19 th century the prestige image of the brand began to develop and it even became the official supplier to the British court, receiving the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria. By chance de Villermont meet German born, champagne enthusiat Joseph Bollinger and local man Paul Renaudin. Look out for that lot code, as this is a particularly stunning rendition of Bollinger, almost certainly improved with the bottling in magnum. However, with 60-90% of the blend coming from a single vintage, or base year, the final blend inevitably displays subtle characteristics of that vintage.