Another Not-So-Normal Chance to Taste Fine Champagne: An Evening with Perrier-Jouët

Post Summary

• New insights on Champagne from an experienced pro -- 4 things you may not know
• Background on Perrier-Jouët
• The four wonderful wines

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I love Champagne so when I am lucky enough to go to a Champagne event hosted by one of the famed producers of the place, I am over the moon. Could I have been any more excited when I got a call from a friend who works with Perrier Jouët, telling me that there was an event featuring 4 amazing wines and the Chef de Cave (head wine dude), Hervé Descamps? 

Let me answer for you: no.

The best part about this event: I had a chance to mine Hervé for info on Champagne. I was lucky to log time with this adorable, charming, smart man who has been with Perrier-Jouët for an astounding 29 years. I was in wine dork heaven.

I've written and talked on the podcast about Champagne, so instead of re-hashing, I'll add some new stuff to the pot. Namely, some interesting things that I learned from Hervé:

1. Hand v. Machine Riddling: Champagne houses can rid the bottles of dead yeast sediment (see this post for more on how Champagne is made, or listen to the podcast on Sparkling) in two main ways. They can turn the bottles slowly by hand or use a machine that does it in half the time, called a gyropalatte. Apparently Perrier-Jouët has done tests and it's exactly the same flavor no matter how you do it. Good to know.

2. Global Warming? Sadly, yes.: Hervé said that he sees real signs of global warming in Champagne. He has been at this for 29 years and he says climatic conditions have changed dramatically over that time. The Champagne harvest is the last week in August and the grapes are far riper than they used to be at that point. Picking grapes with moderate acid and low sugar levels is the key to good Champagne, but this is harder to get right as the temperature warms. You have to make sure that you track sugar levels and acid levels earlier than you used to. With climate change, this is less predictable.

3. Each grape has its place. This is more of a refresher, but Hervé reminded me of the role of the three grapes in the Champagne blend...

• Chardonnay: Used for its freshness, citrus qualities, and elegance (Perrier-Jouët is known for using a very high proportion of Chardonnay, making the wines more delicate and less bold)
• Pinot Noir: Berry flavors and length -- this will make the flavor last in your mouth
• Pinot Meunier (muhn-NYAY): Full, fruity, and juicy, this grape rounds out the blend and gives the wine some heft so it feels fuller and more substantial

4. Perrier - What???:  It's pronounced "Perri-ay Zhoe-wet": the two dots on the "e" of 'Jouet' mean that the "t" should be pronounced (but softly, like 'wet'), according to the brand web site. 

Background on Perrier-Jouët

A bit of background on Perrier-Jouët. The House began as the product of love. Pierre Nicolas Perrier, from a family of wine growers, and Adele Jouët married and created the house in 1811. They were great marketers and within a few years had secured distribution in the UK and the US. Their son, Charles Perrier was a complete rockstar business-person. He brought the Champagne true prestige, and under his watch Queen Victoria and Napoleon III made it their Champagne of choice.

In its 200 year history, the winery has only had seven cellar masters (winemaker/vineyard guardian/"Chef de Cave") -- each trained by the previous one. Perrier-Jouët is widely regarded as a very high quality producer, and the House's Cuvée de Prestige (more on this below), called Belle Epoque, is regarded as one of the finest in the world. 

The white anemone flowered bottle, which you may have seen before on store shelves, has a very cool story. In 1902, Charles' nephew, who took control over Perrier-Joüet after Charles died, had these bottles commissioned by a famous artist. They released the Champagne but it was a loser product so the bottle was forgotten. In the 1960s it was rediscovered and they decided to make a wine worthy of the bottle. Belle Epoque was born! 

The Tasting

Although I've been lucky enough to try a lot of high end Champagne,  I have to tell you that I had a real lightbulb moment at this event with these wines. In the past, I was only just learning about bubbles and the differences between the standard stuff that most of us can spring for every now and then and the smaller production, fine Champagne that is very expensive. 

At this event I realized that there was an enormous difference. So much so that the base wine and the higher tiers had almost no similarity for me. Let me describe the wines to make that point...

 

Wine 1: Grand Brut, Non-Vintage

Background: Non-vintage Brut (dry) Champagne makes up 75% of all Champagne sold. It's a blend of wines from various years and vineyards, blended to create a consistent style. This is the stuff most of us buy for $35 - $45. 

Cool fact: Perrier-Jouët made the first dry Champagne to please the English desire for dry bubbles. 

Price: $45

Color: The wine was a brass color and had fairly big, but consistent bubbles.

Smell: Like a croissant -- bready, yeasty, and a little steely or citrusy too.

Taste: Bready, grapey, and very light and refreshing. It had nice acid and the flavor went on and on. 

Drink or sink?: A good wine, but not my favorite non-vintage Champagne. 

Wine 2: 2004 Belle Epoque Brut

Background: Cuvée de Prestige is a Champagne House's showpiece wine. It is made from their best (called Grand Cru) vineyards and only in the best years, these wines are aged longer than the non-vintage wines and are expensive but really outstanding.

Price: $135

Color: Much paler, with a very fine, small bead/bubble -- this was a much more elegant, delicate looking wine. It looked finer.

Smell:  So floral like jasmine flowers, lemon-lime, with a very light croissant smell. This was so pretty, and fit in perfectly with the profile often ascribed to Belle Epoque -- floral, delicate, and distinguished.

Taste: Like it smelled, but with a slight berry/grape flavor and excellent acidity and effervescence.

Drink or sink?: This wine is delicate, unique, and just fabulous. The floral bottle is an excellent reminder that this wine is different from other Champagnes -- understated and simply beautiful. If you like big bold Champagne, you may not like this but if you are open to something lighter, this is your wine.

Wine 3: Blason Rosé

The blend: 45% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier
Background: Champagne is the only area in France that allows rosé to be made by mixing red and white wine together. This wine is made using that method.

Price: $70

Color:  A light salmon color: orange pink.

Smell: A raspberry, lemon scent but very faint.  

Taste: Elegant with raspberry, strawberry, and bready flavors. The acidity was high and the wine had a lingering cherry or strawberry flavor. 

Drink or sink?: Another very pretty wine. I found this subtle, delicate and freaking fabulous. I loved this wine. Full enough but mostly elegant and mild. Great.

Wine 4: 2004 Belle Epoque Rosé

This wine was Alive! It wasn't even on the roster so we were so lucky to have it! They surprised us with this special treat at the end of the tasting -- I was thrilled that I stuck around for it.
Price: $225

Color: Salmon or copper with a golden tinge and a very tiny, long-lasting bubble.

Smell: The wine smelled like ripe raspberry and jasmine flowers. It was like a fresh baked, warm biscuit with raspberry preserves. Savory and there was that light floral note -- delicious to smell.

Taste: Damn. This was amazing. It was so delicate in flavor but it also had power because of the weight in my mouth, acid, and bubbles. It's hard to explain it, but even thinking about it I can still almost taste it. The wine tasted like it smelled but it had a lemon note, a chalky, mineral flavor, strong acidity, and lots of effervescence. It was heavier than the Brut and the flavor went on and on after I swallowed. It was really impressive. 

Drink or sink?: A genuinely special wine  One of the best I've had -- it totally lives up to the reputation. If you have a chance to try this, your mouth will thank you!

Thanks to my friend Beth for the invite, to Hervé for being so lovely, to the awesome Four Seasons staff for treating me like an insider, and to Pernod-Ricard, the conglomerate that distributes Perrier-Jouët, for their hospitality!

Please drop a comment and let me know if you've had these wines and what you think!