Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut (magnum) NV

Run by Ghislain de Montgolfier, great-grandson of the founder, Bollinger remains family owned to this day. The cellarmaster today is Denis Bunner, who uses Pinot Noir in the Special Cuvée to lend summer berry notes, while Chardonnay gives it a delicate creaminess. 40% reserve wine, plus 10% aged in barrel, contributes to the complexity you expect from this great name. Madame Lily Bollinger, who died in 1971, was the wine’s greatest ambassador. Once, when asked how she enjoyed her Champagne, she replied, “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!”