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The lively and refined cuvée Belle Epoque 2011 enhances the crisp saline freshness of shellfish, the subtle flavour of tender poultry and the authenticity of lightly sweetened fruit desserts.
Ideally served at 10-12°C, this cuvée can provide mouth-watering matches for a dining experience that combines beauty with flavour.
Wine Description
The Story
Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque is the original Belle Epoque vintage cuvée, first appearing in 1964. Instantly recognisable throughout the world, its bottle is adorned with the graceful spray of Japanese white anemones created for Maison Perrier-Jouët by Art Nouveau master Emile Gallé in 1902.
Working at the vat, plot by plot, the Cellar Master tastes and tests time and again, finally isolating the wines, turning each cuvée into a unique wine that expresses all the characteristic elegance and finesse of the House of Perrier-Jouët. "I throw myself into each composition with one combined effort, like the creative flow of an artist, at that moment when intuition, sensitivity and skill somehow inexplicably come together." Hervé Deschamps.
In 1902, Emile Gallé designed a delicate spray of anemones to be engraved on the prestigious cuvées of Perrier-Jouët Champagnes. The House has remained loyal to this artistic heritage ever since.
For Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque, Séverine Frerson specifically selects Pinot Noir grapes from two crus, Verzy and Mailly-Champagne, in the north of the Montagne de Reims, both characterised by their chalky soils. “Pinot Noir grapes from Mailly-Champagne in particular have an elegance and finesse that harmonise perfectly with our signature Chardonnay from Grand Cru terroirs in the Côte des Blancs,” she says. “They therefore enhance, rather than overwhelm, the delicate floral structure of the wine.” The result is an elegantly structured cuvée with a clear floral dimension, making Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque an outstanding example of the art of blending in the Perrier-Jouët style.
Wine Information
While preserving the House style, Hervé Deschamps blended this Cuvée to emphasise the unique character of the 2011 vintage.
His blend brings out the freshness and elegance of the Chardonnays (50%) from the grand crus of Cramant and Avize. From the Montagne de Reims, the Pinot Noir (45%) display a generosity and delicate complexity that prolong the Chardonnays’ finesse. Finally, the rounded charm of the Pinot Meunier (5%) from Dizy provides the finishing touch to this beautifully balanced cuvée.
Over six years’ ageing in Perrier-Jouët’s cellars and a low dosage (9 grams per litre) further refine the generosity and sophistication of this great vintage.
Vintage 2011
Champagne Vintage 2011 / Pinot noir especially stood out this year, while pinot meunier was a ected partly by attacks. The winter came unusually early, in November of the previous year, but a mild late spring still led to a owering in May. The blending wines still have a fairly thin structure and a disturbing tone of bubblegum. Actually, this was one of the few autumns I have been present at harvest. I went around and made unannounced visits here and there. The strongest impression and question mark was actually the huge amount of invasive ladybugs that were caught in the presses and left a nasty, urine-saturated stabbing scent in the press houses. Will this leave an impression? I fail to see it disappear given how strong it was. Apart from that, I will never forget it was 86°F and the autumn sun radiant, when we celebrated with a magnum and reworks into the wee hours in Moulin de Verzenay.
by Richard Juhlin
