Given the number of Champagnes priced between $95 and $99.95, I took it on myself to reduce the price of the Bollinger from $100 to $99.95. Mind you, it's typical Bollinger to ignore tawdry marketing. Long since free of aldehydic problems which once disfigured the wine, this is very rich and complex, with pronounced biscuity/creamy textures and flavours before moving through to a fine finish. Only 25% chardonnay. $99.95; 94 points &  Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2009 – The Weekend Australian November 14-15, 2009

Extremely fresh with an intense lime -lemon flavored palate the bubbles give a creamy texture and the yeast autolysis adds another dimension. The Special Cuvée is the purest expression of the Bollinger style; of its craftsmanship and its singular conception of what champagne should be. It is, therefore, on this wine that the House of Bollinger shows how it is different from other Champagne Houses, asserts its qualitative policy and by which it asks to be judged.

Whether or not you particularly like the unmistakeable Bollinger style, you have to respect it. Pinot noir (60 per cent) and pinot meunier (15 per cent) drive the wine, augmented by fermentation in old oak barrels. The result is a complex spicy, bready, toasty, baked apple bouquet, the palate complete and round, with an unexpected touch of delicacy, and a pleasing, dry finish. Rating: 94 out of 100, James Halliday

NV Brut – Special Cuvée: (a blend of 60% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay and 15% pinot Meunier ; the blend is in large proportion from 2 and 3 year old wines). Here the expressive nose is extremely yeasty and deeply pitched with delicious, vibrant and crisp middle weight flavors that are precise and clean on the long finish. This is a beautiful and relatively robust effort and I like the way that everything is delivered with grace and authority with a firm but not aggressive backbone of acidity. This should be high on the list for those who enjoy cellaring NV examples as it will easily support 10 to 15 years of aging but can also be enjoyed now. A very solid effort at this level. 91/now+ Burghound #28

Pale golden in colour with yeasty aromas on the nose. Very dry but with toasty flavours in the mouth. Round and richly flavoured, full bodied and mature, with perfect balance between firmness and freshness, length equal to its richness, and with a persistent fine bead. In champagne terms, this is the definitive "masculine" style. The high percentage of pinot noir ensures a full-bodied, rich style and the addition of 5 to 10% reserve wines (each aged up to fifteen years) give complexity and depth. Yeast on the nose, dry and toasty in the mouth, with great length and perfect balance. The final word goes to Madame Lily Bollinger - "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty." Winery notes.