LVMH buys 50 percent of Jay-Z owned champagne brand

LVMH, the world's biggest luxury goods company, said on Monday it had agreed to buy 50 percent of Armand de Brignac, the champagne brand owned by rapper Jay-Z.

The company said the purchase -- for an undisclosed sum and made through its Moet Hennessy drinks division -- also involved a distribution deal and would kick off a partnership reflecting a "shared vision" between the singer and the company.

Jay-Z's champagne brand, known informally as Ace of Spades, had been "a fantastic success", Moet Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus said in a joint statement with Jay-Z.

"Armand de Brignac breaks barriers and reflects contemporary luxury, while preserving the traditions of the Champagne terroirs," he said.

Jay-Z, quoted in the statement, said "it is a partnership that has felt familiar the entire time", adding he was confident that "the sheer power of the Moet Hennessy global distribution framework, its unparalleled portfolio strength and its long-established track record of excellence in developing luxury brands will give Armand de Brignac the commercial power it needs to grow and flourish even further".

JAY-Z TRADEMARKS ‘THE TWINS’ ARMAND DE BRIGNAC LABEL

The rapper applied for the trademark to the phrase “Les Jumelles d’Armand de Brignac” or “the twins” in November 2017 on behalf of Ace of Spades Holdings, LLC, with the application stating that the mark “does not identify a particular living individual”.

However the reference is almost certainly in relation to twins Sir and Rumi, who Carter and wife Beyonce welcomed into the world in June of last year.

It follows another trademark application by the mogul for ‘Hovino’ for use in the hospitality sector, suggesting that he may be about to enter the restaurant business.

Jay-Z applied for the Hovino trademark in October 2017 for use in “restaurant and café services; carry-out restaurant services; restaurant services; self-service restaurants; cafes; café-restaurants; catering; serving food and drinks; take-out restaurant services; bar services, pubs; cocktail lounges; wine bars.”

The rapper made the application through his S. Carter Enterprises company, with it being one of eight applications for the mark, which could see the ‘Hovino’ brand also applied across the jewellery, cosmetic and fashion sectors.

The couple had previously tried to trademark their daughter Blue Ivy’s name for similar purposes. Since their daughter Blue Ivy was born in 2012, the pair have been fighting to trademark her name, but have so far been denied the rights because an event company called Blue Ivy already owned the mark.

The couple argued that they are entitled to the trademark to prevent others from profiting off their daughter’s name, despite the company already owning the trademark and operating as a business before Blue Ivy was born.

Champagne Armand de Brignac Awarded number #1 Blanc de Noirs in the World for 2016 

In blind tasting of 250 cuvées for FINE Champagne Magazine’s and Tastingbook.com’s 2016 Annual Champagne Rankings

Champagne Armand de Brignac was announced as the number one Blanc de Noirs champagne in the world, following a blind tasting of 250 cuvées submitted as part of the 2016 annual rankings by FINE Champagne Magazine and Tastingbook.com. The Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs is a 100% Pinot Noir prestige cuvée and less than 3,000 bottles of the first assemblage were created. It is the first new release champagne expression from the brand since it was acquired by Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter in November 2014.

The Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs is crafted from 100% Pinot Noir fruit, from some of the best black-grape producing villages in Champagne. A winemaking signature of Armand de Brignac is extreme selectivity in juice extraction, with the winemakers taking solely the first and freshest portion of the gentle cuvée grape press. This no-compromise approach to producing the most exceptional quality, resulted in a release of less than 3,000 bottles. The inaugural assemblage (A1) is a trio of vintages, 2006, 2008 and 2009, which rested in the chalk cellars in France for more than six years, before its release last November. The champagnes are crafted by the Cattier family, 11th generation Champagne growers, who have held family-owned vineyards in the region for more than 250 years.

FINE Champagne Magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne, have annually assessed the vast offering on the international markets since 2010 producing the ranking of ‘100 Best Champagnes’. On the debut year, Armand de Brignac Brut Gold was celebrated as the best champagne of the year. This year, FINE Champagne organized the ranking in association with the world’s largest wine information source, Tastingbook.com.

“Blanc de Noirs are a rare but exciting, up-and-coming champagne category and we were delighted to see Armand de Brignac’s brand new release excel in our tasting. After all, FINE Champagne’s ranking is all about picking the best wines on the market for the consumer, celebrating champagne’s different styles” said Essi Avellan MW, the Editor of FINE Champagne Magazine.

Juha Lihtonen, co-founder of Tastingbook.com, comments that “Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs charms with its refined, round and opulent nature. It possesses all necessary characteristics of a great Blanc de Noirs. Thanks to these qualities, it stood out in its category.”

Champagne Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs is available at select fine wine stores in key cities of the world at USD $850. 

Champagne Armand de Brignac is a range of prestige cuvées that offer uncompromising quality and taste, crafted by 11th generation champagne growers, the Cattier family. Drawing upon more than 250 years of experience in the region, the father and son winemaking team dedicate intense attention to detail in the creation of the Armand de Brignac champagnes. 

They source fruit from the vineyards showing the highest quality of the harvest, taking solely the first and freshest portion of the cuvée press and blending a unique trio of vintages for each assemblage. Each metalized bottle is finished by hand, with the application of French pewter labels, polished, and housed in a wooden lacquered gift box, ensuring every single bottle is unique. A small and highly skilled team of just 14 people touch a bottle of Armand de Brignac, from pressing the fruit to the bottle’s departure from the cellars in France.

In keeping with Champagne’s reputation as a celebratory wine, harvest is a joyous time in the vineyards.

This is the time when the grapes are finally ready for their transformation into wine. One might even say that some of the harvest revelry is imparted through the 250 million bubbles in each bottle of Armand de Brignac.

The harvest generally takes place during two weeks in September, although weather sometimes dictates a change of dates. By law, all Champagne grapes must be picked by hand; for these two weeks the vineyards are filled with workers, including the members of our family, who join the house staff in the fields. At the harvest celebration, all take time to enjoy the chateau’s reserve wines, paired alongside traditional country meals. These traditions date back centuries, when our vineyards were owned and tended by King Louis XV’s officers and royalty savored the best wines made by each chateau.

Although many of Champagne’s producers now use industrial-grade, high volume presses, we employ a traditional Coquart press for Armand de Brignac. This ensures a slow and high-quality yield is extracted from our carefully hand-sorted grapes; each bottle is made from a small fraction of the first pressing of the grapes. To earn its classification as a prestige cuvée, Armand de Brignac is made from the most exquisite, richest wine from each harvest. This enables the Champagne to become more complex and subtle as it ages.

The three grape varieties permitted for inclusion in genuine Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.

Armand de Brignac cuvées derive their light, racy effervescence from the quality of our Chardonnay grapes, while Pinot Noir lends strength, boldness, and depth of palate. Finally, Pinot Meunier adds roundness, nuance, and fruitiness to the cuvées of our range.

Blending & Ageing

After the grapes are pressed, our chateau’s father-and-son oenologues create the signature blends that embody the quality and uncompromised individuality of Armand de Brignac.

For each bottling, three distinct vintages from outstanding harvest years are blended together to comprise the final cuvée. The art of blending Champagne varietals and vintages is the most important part of the craft, and allows our winemakers to preserve the house’s character from year to year.

When our master oenologues have achieved the perfect formula, Armand de Brignac is bottled by one craftsman using a traditional device. Although this painstaking process limits our output, it enables our expert artisans to ensure that each bottle of Armand de Brignac meets the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship.

After our Champagne has been bottled and sealed, the bottles are stored in a special gated section of the cellars designated for its ideal conditions for ageing these blends. Descending more than 119 steps (over 30 meters) underground, the cellars are considered among the deepest in Champagne and maintain a constant cool temperature conducive to the slow, natural ageing process necessary to create the extraordinary and subtle character of Armand de Brignac.

Dosage

Following the dégorgement, a specialliqueur de dosage is added to the Armand de Brignac blend, made from a closely-guarded family formula.

Created from a blend of the very best still wines from prior harvests and aged for a full year in oaken casks from Burgundy and Champagne, the dosage imparts subtle nuances to the Champagne – as our winemaker puts it, “a touch of soul.” This step is especially important in maintaining the unique character of Armand de Brignac: no other wine in the world includes this same combination of meticulously-selected vintages from our private terroir – nor do any other Champagnes age their dosage – but not the main cuvée – in oak.

Finishing

As part of our finishing process, the bottles are corked and sealed only as quickly as our artisans can hand craft them.

The ornate, delicate Armand de Brignac bottles must be handled with care by hand due to the bottle’s special shape and plating. After the cork and metalmuselet are added, a black capsule stamped with the Armand de Brignac crest is secured. During the last stage of production, four pewter labels are applied to the bottle and polished by hand, making every bottle a unique and distinctive work of art. When two bottles are placed side by side, subtle differences can be seen in the fine details of the pewter and in the hue and texture of the beaten metal. One thing holds true for every bottle of Armand de Brignac – the buttery-soft, creamy, and complex Champagne within.