Perrier-Jouët

THIS STORY BEGAN IN 1811: ONE YEAR AFTER THE MARRIAGE OF PIERRE-NICOLAS PERRIER AND ROSE-ADÉLAÏDE JOUËT. SHE WAS A CULTURED, SPIRITED YOUNG WOMAN FROM A FAMILY OF MERCHANTS; HE WAS BOTH PASSIONATE ABOUT BOTANY AND A SEASONED VINTNER, WITH THE PERFECT KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO PRODUCE CHAMPAGNE.

Perrier Jouet bottle, designed by Emile Gallé, the founder of the École de Nancy

Photography by: Warren and Nick

WHEN THEY FOUNDED THEIR Champagne House, the Perrier family, like many other Champagne producers, owned barely ten hectares, spread out over Epernay, Aÿ, Avenay, Dizy, Pierry and Chouilly.

Pierre-Nicolas enriched this heritage as a true connoisseur by acquiring land in Aÿ, Mailly and in what were to become the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs, in Avize and Cramant.

An entrepreneur, Pierre-Nicolas was the first to guarantee the origin of his wines by putting the Cru and vintage on his corks.

It was their son Charles – who married Octavie Gallice – keen on science and a partisan of progress, who took up his parents’ reins and introduced greenhouses into the gardens of the imposing Château Perrier, which had been built by his family on the iconic Avenue de Champagne.

There, Charles cultivated an extraordinary number of plants and conducted research into vines, fully aware that the vineyard was the jewel in his House’s crown. He then multiplied its surface area by six, thanks to additions of rare plots of Grands Crus, in particular from Mailly and Verzenay, to the property he had inherited from his father.

The reputation of his House’s wines had now become established throughout Europe: Perrier-Jouët was served at the tables of Napoléon III, Leopold 1st of Belgium, Charles 15th the King of Sweden, and Queen Victoria. In 1861, she awarded Perrier-Jouët her ‘Royal Warrant’, thus making the House one of her court’s official suppliers.

It was then Octavie’s nephew, Henri Gallice, who took over control of the House from his uncle in 1872. Having been trained by Charles, Henri perpetuated the founders’ traditions and his demanding approach bore fruit: in 1880, a million bottles were exported, in particular to the USA, which was one of the House’s new markets.

After undergoing the disaster of phylloxera and the ravages of the First World War, a fresh chapter of Perrier-Jouët’s history began with Louis Budin. As Henri Gallice had lost his son René, it was Louis Budin, René’s brother-in-law, who took charge of the House.

This agricultural engineer and lover of the Champagne region reconstituted the vineyard, above all by acquiring plots in Dizy and the legendary property of Bouron Leroi. Meanwhile, he reorganised his sales network both in France and abroad, before handing over the keys of the House to his son, Michel, who in turn continued to shape the vineyard by adding new plots to it, including parts of another fabulous property: Bouron du midi.

In 1902, the House approached Emile Gallé, the founder of the École de Nancy and now recognised as one of the instigators of the Art Nouveau movement in France. To answer a commission for the decoration of several magnums of champagne, this master glassmaker looked for inspiration from his garden. Emile Gallé was not only a renowned artist and a recognised businessman, he was also an enthusiastic botanist. From his collection of Japanese plants, which included almost 400 varieties, some of which being extremely rare, he chose Japanese anemones and devised an airy design.

But this floral arabesque then fell into oblivion before being rediscovered, quite by chance, at the end of the 1960s, by the House’s Cellar Master. Convinced enough to buck the fashions of the day, and with the intuition that this art-work would turn into a genuine emblem, in 1969 Michel Budin decided to use it to decorate the bottles of the cuvée he wished then to launch: cuvée Belle Epoque. Michel Budin then took things further by starting a collection of Art Nouveau furniture and artefacts. In 1990, These works by Majorelle, Guimard, Lalique, among others, resulted in the remarkable décor of the Maison Belle Epoque, where Perrier-Jouët’s private guests are now entertained.

Since 2005, the Perrier-Jouët House has belonged to the Pernod Ricard Group. Over two centuries after its foundation, the spirit of Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose Adélaïde Jouët still remains. ❧

Tasting notes

PERRIER-JOUËT GRAND BRUT

Appearance: A beautiful golden hue

Aroma: A lively freshness reveals harmonious fruity and floral aromas: white flowers (blossom, lime, honeysuckle) punctuated with fresh fruit flavours (lemon, peach) and yellow fruits (apricot, mango) developing into notes of buttery brioche and hints of vanilla

Flavour: The attack feels the palate with a beautiful structure, balance and roundness. The wine delivers a gentle vinosity with an agreeable persistence on the finish PERRIER-JOUËT BLASON ROSE

Appearance: A beautiful fresh salmon pink in colour

Aroma: Pomegranate, red fruits, blood orange - intense fruity aromas dominate the nose, followed by subtle floral notes (honeysuckle). Finally hints of butter and brioche complete the harmony of the wine

Flavour: The attack is intense and lively. The wine is rich, with great length and character. The finish is complex and persistent

PERRIER-JOUËT BELLE EPOQUE 2006

Appearance: A beautiful pale yellow, clear with hints of green and a lively mousse

Aroma: Aromas of white fruits - lemon, white peach, pear and grapefruit - give way to hints of pineapple and fresh spring flowers. This is followed by richer aromas of nuts, marzipan and sweet spice

Flavour: The attack is lively, with a marked minerality that feels both elegant yet rounded. Sensual and silky, harmonious and beautifully balanced, the flavours mingle to leave a long, fine finish PERRIER-JOUËT BELLE EPOQUE ROSE 2006

Appearance: A robe of pale Rosé with hints of orange and a very lively mousse

Aroma: Rounded yet delicate aromas of red fruits (red currants, raspberries and pomegranate) combine with blood orange and grapefruit followed by hints of nuts, brioche, honey and caramel

Flavour: The attack is lively and fresh, yet rounded. The palate is intense, generous and powerful, yet delicate, with purity of fruit, great finesse and a long, lingering finish