James Bond’s Favorite Champagne At Sotheby’s Auction

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On 19 November 2016, Sotheby’s New York will present “A Century of Champagne Bollinger” – a selection of rare wines that have never before left the winery’s cellars in Aÿ, France. “We are thrilled to add Bollinger to the long and distinguished list of producers with whom we have worked on direct-from-the-cellar sales,” says Jamie Ritchie, worldwide head of Sotheby’s Wine. Bollinger is known for producing great champagnes with a powerful, sophisticated and complex style, as well as for being ‘James Bond’s favorite’ for over 40 years. Also, it was the first Champagne ever to receive a Royal Seal of Approval (1884 by Queen Victoria) and continues to be a favorite of royalty today (in England it is affectionately known as Bolly by fans). However, the highlights of the sale is a bottle from 1914 vintage recently discovered in a disused gallery cellar under the village of Aÿ, and dubbed one of the “lost treasures of Bollinger. Lucky buyer of “The Bollinger 1914 Experience,” will actually won a package which actually is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for four people to taste the 100+ year vintage as part of a private visit to Galerie 1829 at Bollinger. The lot also includes vineyard and winery visits; dinner with Bollinger Champagnes at the two-star Michelin restaurant Le Parc at Les Crayères, hosted by Philipon; and accommodation at Le Château Les Crayères in Reims. Other highlights of the sale will include six lots of the exceptionally rare and hallowed Vieilles Vignes Francaises from historic vintages, library stock of Bollinger R.D. spanning four decades (1973–2000) including the superb 1996 (estimate: $1,400 to $1,800 per bottle), as well as Bollinger’s Special Cuvée in eight different formats, from half-bottles to a Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters).