Champagne Perrier Jouet

Champagne Perrier-Jouët was born through the marriage of Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Adele Jouët in 1811. Originally, Perrier had been a cork manufacturer in Epernay but, after the acquisition of vines throughout the Champagne region, the couple began making their Chardonnay-dominant wines and exporting to England in 1815, and eventually America in the late 1930s.

Perrier-Jouët was a pioneer in Champagne: it was among the first houses to label bottles with the year of vintage, and it was one of the first to make Champagne in the brut style. The latter was introduced in 1856, because of the English palate of the time; previously Champagnes had been made with high levels of dosage. After seeing the success of Perrier-Jouët's brut Champagne, other houses began to release their own brut wines, and the style is now found in the majority of modern Champagne portfolios.

The vineyards of Perrier-Jouët encompass 65 hectares (161 acres), with each plot being picked and vinified separately before being blended into its eventual cuvée. The blend is chosen by current cellar master, Herve Deschamps, who is just the seventh cellar master in the house's history. Chardonnay is used above Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and gives a house style that is fruit-driven, floral and elegant. The wines are then aged for a minimum of three years underground in Perrier-Jouët's chalk cellars before release.

Today, Perrier-Jouët is the Champagne of choice for the royal family of Monaco, traditionally being served to Princess Grace at the Rose Ball; the Belle Époque 2002 was also served at the wedding and official dinner of the Prince and Princess of Monaco in 2011.