Bollinger 2026: When Heat Becomes a Recipe for Success

Sometimes I read a piece of news from Champagne and think to myself: a few years ago, I would have written that off as marketing talk. This week was one of those moments again. Charles-Armand de Belenet, the CEO of Bollinger, said at the traditional Harvest Lunch in London that the weather in Champagne during the 2026 ripening period was comparable to that of Barcelona. And yet he's talking about a record vintage, even calling it a "fantastic" harvest. For someone like me, who has been following champagne as a hobby for years, this is exactly the kind of contradiction that fascinates me about this drink.

Why heat doesn't automatically have to be a bad thing

I think many wine lovers have come to assume that hot years in Champagne are problematic. Too much sugar, too little acidity, grapes ripening too fast. That's often true. But what I learned from reading about Bollinger is just how much of a difference the soil makes here. De Belenet calls the chalk soils a "strategic asset for the next 100 years," which sounds like a big statement at first, but I think it hits on something important. Chalk can store an enormous amount of water and releases it slowly to the vines over the course of weeks. That's why, according to de Belenet, the vines managed to stay "very green despite the water shortage," even when temperatures above ground were scorching.

To me, that's the real heart of the story. It's not the heat itself that matters most, but how well a terroir can handle it. Bollinger's vineyards around Aÿ sit on exactly that kind of ground, and that's probably one reason the house remains optimistic even in a year with Barcelona-like weather.

The earliest harvest in the house's history

Back in August, it was already announced that Bollinger began picking on August 13th, just 76 days after flowering. Earlier than ever before. Looking at the vintages of the past decade, I notice how the start of the harvest in Champagne keeps shifting earlier and earlier, year after year. What used to be standard in late September now often happens in mid-August. To me, that's one of the most tangible signs of how much the climate in the region has changed, even if houses like Bollinger prefer to frame the topic in terms like "chalk as capital" rather than using the word climate change.

New cellar master, new style?

I also find the change in personnel exciting. Since the beginning of October, Émilien Boutillat has been Bollinger's new Chef de Cave, after previously working at Piper-Heidsieck and Rare. De Belenet calls him "the best person to build the new Bollinger," which is a phrase that catches the ear. Building a "new Bollinger" doesn't sound like a house simply continuing along the same lines as before. I'm curious to see whether this will show up in upcoming Cuvées, for example in the style of the Grande Année or in newer lines like the Blanc de Noirs PN AYC21, made from pure Pinot Noir out of Aÿ, which I find to be an exciting expression of the house's home vineyards.

Why Bollinger is investing in wine tourism now

The second major thread in this news concerns wine tourism. Since the pandemic, Reims has doubled its visitor numbers from one to two million, and Bollinger is responding with a new barrel cellar as well as plans for a hotel, a visitor center, and a restaurant, all set to open in 2028. What surprises me about this: worldwide, wine tourism accounts for around 25 percent of a winery's revenue, but in Champagne, including at Bollinger, it's only one to five percent. That's a huge gap, and I understand why houses like Bollinger are stepping things up now.

At the same time, this fits with a line from the announcement that I find particularly notable: "The best way to show confidence in the market is to invest." At a time when wine consumption is declining in some regions and the fine wine market is struggling, while champagne volumes are at least seeing a slight increase, that's a bold statement. Honestly, I find it refreshing when a house with such a long tradition doesn't freeze up but instead invests against the trend.

My take as an enthusiast

To me, this story shows how closely terroir, climate, leadership changes, and brand strategy are intertwined in Champagne. A record vintage despite record heat isn't something to take for granted. It's the result of soils that have been prepared for exactly these kinds of situations for millions of years. I'm curious to see how the 2026 vintage will show in the glass later on, and even more curious about the mark Émilien Boutillat will leave on the house in the years to come.