Bollinger 007 Limited Edition Millésimé 2011

The 007 Limited Edition Millésimé 2011 has been released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the partnership between the Bollinger family and the James Bond film series.

Bollinger was first ordered by James Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die. Five years later there was a chance meeting off-screen between two fine wine connoisseurs: Christian Bizot, the Managing Director of Champagne Bollinger at the time, and Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, the 007 director. The two struck up a close friendship, which resulted in the 1969 R.D. making an appearance in 1979’s Moonraker. Bollinger has been the Official Champagne of the famous British secret agent ever since, featuring in a slew of the movies.

This jet-black new bottle – described by Bollinger as “an extremely-limited edition run globally” – is adorned with a large ‘25’ to mark the forthcoming 25th instalment of the James Bond series, No Time To Die, which is due to hit cinemas in April 2020. For those struggling to understand why this is the 25th release when there are clearly 24 films between 1962’s Dr. No and 2015’s Spectre, this is because all of the films were made by Eon Productions except the 1967 version of Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again from 1983. And that’s why those two films do not feature on the etched glass of the automated lid on the display box.

Uniquely, this 2011 Vintage Champagne was created purely out of Pinot Noir picked from the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, where the house was established in 1829. It was vinified in oak and aged on the lees for seven long years. The highly respected Champagne critic Richard Juhlin was clearly impressed, awarding it 95 points and pointing out that it may take 10 years to reach its zenith. Expect honeyed richness, boiled sweets, stewed fruit, baked Bramley apples, cream and oak spices. They say that diamonds are forever, but when it comes to gifting the 007 Limited Edition Millésimé 2011 is licensed to thrill.