Winegrower Champagne
A new collection of Vintages
A vintage is the spirit of time. Champagne evolves in the vat, then in the bottle. It is living, and through the years delivers its soul, its generosity, its complexity, its originality. It reveils the terroir according to the care it received. Joseph Perrier is famous for its vinification in plots, its subtle blendings, the slow maturing of its wines in cellars with constant temperature and hygrometry. The House also is renowned for its human process perpetuating a century-old tradition: riddling, storage on the racks and shift of the bottles before disgorging are done manually. At Joseph Perrier, the first vintage of "Cuvée Royale" Brut was born in 1911. A century later, Jean-Claude Fourmon, the Chairman, celebrates the 185-year anniversary of the House and launches the first Vintages Blanc de Blancs and Rosé 2002.
A Champagne bottle of Victorian style
The bottle is the case in which the wine turns into Champagne. To present his new vintages, Jean-Claude Fourmon, Chairman of the House since thirty years, had been dreaming of a bottle like no other. In one of his drawers, he discovered a special Champagne bottle (Champenoise) of Victorian style with the label “Sparkling Ay”. The word Champagne has been printed on the labels only after the 2nd Empire!
This bottle has been used by the profession from 1830 to 1870 and registered in the 19th century. He decided to make it his by patenting the shape and the packaging in the 21st century. Experience always wins the day and for him the best champagnes are made by using tradition. The slender shape of the flask enhances its very feminine curves. Two special features: a flat bottom and a frieze of bubbles inlaid in the glass all around to ease the riddler’s work.
Rosé 2002 Vintage
This Rosé is really seducing, with its bright colour, in a satin evening dress, its greedy nose with small red fruit flavours, honey scents, tastes of fruit coulis, jam, liquorice, and a grand finale exploding on prunes and frangipane. Made of only First and Grands Crus, it combines the three varietals: 20% Chardonnay, 75% Pinot noir, of which 12% come from Cumières, and 5% Pinot meunier. It likes gastronomy. With its concerto of flavours, it will spice up plain dishes, like roasted lamb, but can also accompany a whole meal from the starter to the dessert. It highlights sweet and salt matches like in Indian, Libanese, Vietnamese cooking... It has conquered the high spheres of the trade and restauration like the Caves Augé or Lavinia in Paris, Harrods and the Dorchester in London and the Mandarin Impérial in Hong Kong…
Blanc de blancs 2002 Vintage
This new Vintage Blanc de Blancs reveals itself to be more charming than sharp, regarding its blending of First and Grands Crus Chardonnay among which, in addition to the great whites of the Côte des Blancs, there is some Cumières Blanc, source of mellowness and roundness. The brightness of its packaging underlines the luminosity of its colour, the subtlety of its effervescence. Its delicious nose alternates scents that are once floral (acacia, honeysuckle, linden-tree, broom, hyacinth), then fruity (bush peach, mango, pineapple) or greedy (finger roll, caramel, vanilla). Such a bouquet that will turn into flavours for a voluptuous festive palate, with a vivid, fresh and persistent finish. The elegance of the design of this Blanc de Blancs already places it amongst the exceptional wines. The specialized guides like Bettane Desseauve or RVF give it creditable marks around 17 out of 20 !
A historical House
Joseph Perrier is the smallest of the three 'Perrier' of Champagne. “Small is beautiful” Jean-Claude likes to joke. It is the last House settled in the préfecture of the Marne, Châlons-en-Champagne, giving it the nickname of “Last of the Mohicanes”. In 1825, its founder, a wine merchant’s son, installed the House in a coaching inn backing onto a hill. Once he was elected maire of the city, Joseph Perrier moved into the highest spheres and became Queen Victoria and her son Edouard VII’s supplier. The House was then awarded the privilege to call is cuvées “Royales”! In 1888, the family Pithois bought the House, the adjacent cellars and added to the business beautiful vineyards in the Marne Valley at Cumières, Damery, Verneuil... Jean-Claude Fourmon is the 4th heir of the family.
What a historical and long-standing House!
The underground cathedral…
No lift to take nor stairs to climb. The visitor gets in these three-kilometer long cellars, digged in the chalk, like entering a cave hanging on the mountain, and continues his initiatory quest following in the steps of prestigious wines. When she discovered these cellars, the American dancer Carolyn Carlson compared them with an underground cathedral, with thick walls, imposing archs, surprising ogives culminating at 20 meters high. With its historical natural faults, pickaxe marks and traces of life (a name engraved on the wall, initials of men who worked there in the cellars and vatroom…), the cellars of Joseph Perrier are housed in ancient Gallo-Roman chalk quarries. In 1825, they were lit with candles and had only three spans. For the needs of the production, some thirty other galleries have been digged in the 19th century. The latter have a historical characteristic: skylights have been pierced through the chalk. And a corridor ventilation system has been created in the higher part. How enchanting the cellars of Joseph Perrier are! Even if the Champagne region has not been considered for the Unesco World Heritage in 2010, there will be other opportunities and the cellars of Joseph Perrier are listed as a representative site in the application.
Claude Dervin succède à son père et à son grand père comme chef de cave
de la maison. Il règne sur 3 à 4 millions de cols et leur porte les plus grands soins. A vineyard in the Marne Valley
The Joseph Perrier vineyard are not located in Châlons-en-Champagne, but in the Marne Valley, mainly all around Cumières, Hautvillers, Damery and Verneuil. A sea of vines slope straight down to the river. The vineyard is planted with young stocks and thirty-year old vines that draw very deeply the mineral salts, source of taste in the Champagne. You will recognize it thanks to the small yellow landmarks that delimit it, and also thanks to the grass-planted paths created every two rows to nullify the use of herbicids.
Nevertheless Jean-Claude Fourmon cherishes the secret hope that his hill, called ‘La Butte Jacquesson’, will once be reclassified in Champagne appellation. This has been asked by Bruno Bourg Broc, the mayor of Châlons-en-Champagne, to the INAO (National Institute for Origin and Quality). To be continued...
Champagne
Joseph Perrier
69, Avenue de Paris, 51016 Châlons-En-Champagne Tél. :
+33 (0)3 26 68 29 51 Fax : +33 (0)3 26 70 57 16
www.josephperrier.com
