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‘Do you expect me to drink?’: Bollinger marks 60 years of Goldfinger

03 October 2024 By Louis Thomas

Champagne Bollinger is celebrating the 60th anniversary of James Bond film Goldfinger with the release of a £3,500 Champagne gift set.

Released in September 1964, Goldfinger was Sean Connery’s third outing as 007, and many do consider it to be among the best of the 25 EON-produced Bond films, with one Esquire ranking putting it at the very top.

To mark the picture’s diamond anniversary, Champagne Bollinger has thrown its razor-edged bowler hat into the ring and released the Goldfinger 007 Limited Edition Cuvée, for an RSP of £3,500.

It should be noted that it is not Bollinger that is actually named in the film, but another famous Champagne, with Connery’s Bond uttering the line: “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Pérignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit.”

However, Victoria Carfantan, director of Champagne Bollinger UK and global partnerships told the drinks business that this new release is “less about the specific champagne Bond drinks in the movie, and more about celebrating the partnership between the two families and the overall cultural legacy of Bond”.

“Champagne Bollinger has a long-standing connection as the preferred Champagne to the famous secret agent and Goldfinger is pivotal in the James Bond film franchise,” she added.

Fittingly, given the secret agent’s code name, the magnum of Bollinger chosen is a 2007.

“The vintage reflects Bollinger’s signature richness and structure that has beautifully evolved over the years, whilst remaining elegant and refined, with a notable freshness and balance,” Carfantan explained.

2007 was also the same vintage that Bollinger used to mark the 60th anniversary of Bond’s first outing on the silver screen in an EON Production, 1962’s Dr. No.

The Goldfinger-inspired magnum, with its golden foil and label, also comes with a a bespoke Globe-Trotter air cabin case. Explaining the partnership with the luxury luggage brand, Carfantan said: “Working with another premium James Bond partner on the limited edition was a natural choice and the bespoke Globe-Trotter Case makes it more of a collectible piece, certainly reminiscent of Bond’s jet-setting lifestyle.”

“It is more likely to resonate with both Bollinger and Bond fans as a collector’s piece, rather than encouraging actual travel with the bottle,” she continued, “although it is totally possible given the way the internal precision cut elements have been made to secure the magnum and glasses in place.”

However, those hoping to get hold of it might have better luck breaking into Fort Knox, as just 200 were produced, each marked from 001 to 200. If you have missed out on securing a magnum, The Ritz London is serving the cuvée throughout October, priced at £90 per glass, and it can also be tried alongside other Bollinger Champagnes at The 007, a Bond-based experienced in Burlington Arcade.

Though Carfantan toasted the longstanding connection between Bond and Bolly, one she said is “based on many shared values” that fans of both “appreciate and aspire to”, she did reveal that the brand has no plans to mark the 50th anniversary of 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun, also this year – in that film, Roger Moore’s Bond expresses a preference for ’62 Dom Pérignon over the ’64 he is offered.

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