The TGV is so fast that it was though the sprawling eastern suburbs of Paris in fifteen minutes or so and racing through attractive farmland. The brilliant sunshine in Paris and environs was soon punctuated with increasing patches of fog. Arriving in Reims just 45 minutes later, having travelled a shocking 143 km, it was cold, clammy and pea-soup foggy.
For four days in October, I toured the region, which offers plenty to do for visitors. Perrier-Jouet is first on the list and reports on further visits to a half dozen or so other maisons will follow. Perrier-Jouet follows here, or you can link directly to find out more about...
- the well-earned exclusivity of Salon & Delamotte.
- the powdered wigs and nudity (zero added sugar) of Louis de Sacy.
- the British royal family favourite Lanson.
- the medieval grandeur and sweetness of Taittinger.
- the trendiness and century old "new" typeface of Ayala.
>> Perrier-Jouet
The drive to Epernay, the capital of Champagne, was both seamless – good roads, well signposted – and dull: not much to see in the fog. Road construction on Avenue de Champagne meant I entered Perrier-Jouet through the distinctly unglamorous back door. But the welcome at Perrier-Jouet was warm, friendly and efficient. In no time at all, the disarmingly charming Sandrine Cavazzine – a local girl, born and raised in Epernay – was driving me to Perrier-Jouet’s finest Grand Cru vineyards in the village of Cramant. She skilfully answered all my questions about terroir, grape ratios, vintages, and the pecking order of Champagne’s vineyards.
Sandrine smiles in a Cote des Blancs vineyard.
It was still foggy, but we saw more and more blue sky as the fog burned away. I learned about the importance of angle and the direction of the slope of hills, and of how a forest at the top of a hill is bad news: “it creates too much humidity,” Sandrine said. She also said that 2007 was pretty good, even though the summer was cool – April was so warm everything got started early, so all the grapes ripened nicely. She says it’s too early to tell about whether it’s going to be a vintage year.
Back in Epernay, we toured part of Perrier-Jouet’s vast underground network of storage tunnels, all of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even though the business has expanded greatly, they so overbuilt back then that there’s still plenty of room: it’s hard to imagine any capital works project doing the same today; giving to its great-great-great etc. grandchildren. The 18th century sections are just carved out of the chalk, which is white, damp, and crumbles easily if you touch it. It’s almost other-worldly down there, and, in “L’Eden de Perrier-Jouet”, a gated and locked chamber, I saw the oldest champagnes of all – there are just five bottles left from the 1825 vintage and about a dozen left from the 1846 vintage, which was the first “modern” champagne, created for the English market, which preferred a drier style (which we all prefer now). There’s also a small selection of the best of Perrier-Jouet’s 1874 vintage, which, in inflation-adjusted terms, is still the most expensive champagne ever sold.
Then came the lunch and the tasting. Communication Director Olivier Cavil met us at the absolutely stunning reception house, which stands opposite the main complex on Avenue de Champagne. Built in the 1700s, it was the residence of the newly-joined Perrier and Jouet couple shortly after they were married. It’s now decorated exclusively in Art Nouveau period furniture and contains, among other beautiful things, a painting by Toulouse Lautrec, a sculpture by Rodin, and a one-off bed designed by Hector Guimard, the man who created the famous Paris Metro station entrances. Sandrine told me that they bought the bed in the 1980s “for about $100,000," adding that "it's apparently very comfortable too”. Some lucky visitors to Perrier-Jouet actually get to stay there.
Lunch was everything you might expect a key contributor to French gastronomic culture to deliver: stunningly delicious and perfectly presented, from the melt-in-your mouth amuses-bouche, to the superb, pancake-flat tarte aux pommes with coffee ice cream. In between was a multi-flavoured seafood salad, perfectly done coteaux d’agneau and small portions of interesting vegetables. The sun shone on the beautiful garden (the fog had lifted), Olivier Cavil was as sleek, informative and charming a host as could be hoped for, and the champagne was superb.
The Champagnes of Perrier-Jouet
Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut NV
Pale yellow colour, moderate bubbles. Rich nose of muted apple peels. Big mouthful of vibrant bubbles and some reddish fruit hints on the palate. Acidity sharp, tamed by a nice hint of smooth sweetness. I noted it was “great in the middle” and the nice finish has a hint of citrus. 90 points.
Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut Millesime 1998
Obvious aged nose on this one, with secondary notes that include a hint of oxidation, though not to the point of a flaw. Nice fruit, including apple. Very elegant and smooth on the palate, with great acidity. Well balanced and a nice long finish. 91 points.
Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque 1999
Lots of very tiny bubbles. Fresher and lighter on the nose than you’d expect for the age. Super dry, yet smooth and elegant on the palate, with hard-to-pin-down white fruit. Fresh as a daisy even though it’s nearly eight years old. The lighter and more delicate style means this is a “feminine” champagne, even though it’s 45% pinot noir. The super long finish is agreeably complex, though reserved and hard to define… great! 93 points.
Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Rose 1999
Beautiful pale salmon colour. Very delicate nose of red fruit and again very youthful. Both gentle and elegant on the palate, the tiny bubbles keeping it smooth, and there’s nice red strawberry fruit hints. The acidity is pretty much perfect and supports the terrific finish very well. 94 points.
Continue on to read about the well-earned exclusivity of Salon & Delamotte.
