Bollinger teams up with top chefs on Grande Année 2008 pairings

Champagne Bollinger has teamed up with some of London’s top chefs on a series of recipes designed to pair with its recently released La Grande Année 2008.

Brett Graham of The Ledbury in Notting Hill presents Bollinger’s cellar master, Gilles Descôtes, with a 14-year-old Duchy Estate Helford oyster in smoked potato butter with pickled sea purslane created specifically to pair with Bollinger La Grande Année 2008

Dubbed ‘Le Grand Tour’, the collaboration, which kicked off with a daring pairing devised by Brett Graham of The Ledbury at the launch of La Grande Année 2008 earlier this month, includes recipes from Atul Kochhar of Benares and Ollie Dabbous of Hide.

Each month a different London chef will create a pairing for the prestige fizz using a hero ingredient, from crab to truffle

Graham, head chef of the two Michelin-starred The Ledbury in Notting Hill, created a dish that makes a hero of 14-year-old Duchy Estate Helford oysters than can reach up to 14 inches in length, to complement the saline flavours found in La Grande Année 2008.

The oyster was lightly steamed then grilled and brushed with Sherry vinegar. The dish is finished with a smoked potato butter sauce, finger lime and pickled sea purslane.

Made from 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay from 18 different crus, Bollinger’s cellar master, Gilles Descôtes, describes La Grande Année 2008 as “structured and rich in texture with creamy effervescence, delicate bitterness and a long saline finish”.

Its “complex aromatic profile” includes aromas of “citrus, berries and spices” along with “floral, and mineral notes”, making it an easy fizz to pair with a plethora of dishes.

Bollinger will be partnering with a different chef each month on a dish that they deem to be the perfect pairing for La Grande Année 2008.

Each chef will focus on a different hero ingredient – Ollie Dabbous will zone in on crab, Atul Kochar will shine a light on duck, Tom Kitchen will make a hero of truffle, and Chris Denney of 108 Garage will celebrate celeriac.

Other chefs due to take part in the collaboration include Peter Joseph of Kahani, whose hero ingredient is coconut prawns, and Lisa Goodwin-Allen of Northcote, who will devise a dish around caviar.

Running until the end of the year, the dishes will be available for a limited period on the chefs’ respective menus throughout 2019, and diners will be encouraged to enjoy the dishes with a glass of Bollinger La Grande Année 2008.