This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 4, 2015.

To celebrate the premiere of Spectre, the 24th instalment of James Bond films, champagne house Bollinger has released a limited edition bottle that’s inspired by the style and sophistication of the world’s most famous spy. The Bollinger brand has featured in 14 Bond films, and it has been the exclusive champagne partner since it was first featured in Moonraker in 1979. In Spectre, the discerning secret agent drinks the exclusive prestige cuvée Bollinger R.D. 2002.

This Bond-Bollinger partnership, interestingly, was based on a gentlemen’s agreement from the early 1970s. At the time, the Champagne house was being run by founder Madame Bolinger’s nephews Claude d’Hautefeuille and Christian Bizot, who sought to build the brand while remaining true to its tradition. Film producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli had long since identified Bollinger as the ideal champagne partner for the Bond film franchise, but some negotiation was necessary — adamant that Bollinger was right for his suave secret agent, Cubby made friends with Bizot, bonding over their shared love of wine.

The Spectre Limited Edition contains a unique Bollinger cuvée from the 2009 vintage, released exclusively to celebrate the continuing partnership between Bollinger and Bond. The 2009 vintage is a champagne of great character, whose elegance is reminiscent of the famous secret agent. As with any vintage Bollinger Champagne, the 2009 perfectly reflects the house style; the expression of the terroir and the aromatic richness are beautifully enhanced in this blend. Bollinger chef de cave Gilles Descôtes says “we have kept the best, the richest wine”.

The champagne, a deep gold colour that showcases the wine’s maturity and the Bollinger style, is a blend of 68% Pinot Noir and 32% Chardonnay. Ideally paired with rich, fresh foods like salmon, oysters, white fish or duck, the wine’s aroma includes citrus fruits, delicately stewed pear with hints of vanilla, toasted aromas, hazelnut and breadcrumbs. It’s a brisk and lively wine, which moves through flavours of candied fruit, Mirabelle, plum, quince paste and honey with a finish that is reminiscent of bitter orange.

In addition to the unique Bollinger vintage, the Spectre Limited Edition Champagne comes encased in a sleek Carre Basset designed black cooling box with embossed silver Bollinger and 007 branding. The exterior is designed to mimic the texture of the gun grip on 007’s Walther PPK, whilst the insulated interior will keep the bottle chilled for up to two hours once removed from the fridge, making it the perfect portable champagne for all secret missions.

Only one of the six bottles of the Spectre Limited Edition Champagne that Wine Talk is bringing in for local connoisseurs is left. Priced at RM1,388, it is now available for pre-order and will be delivered in mid-November. Visit www.winetalk.com.my for more.