Leo Damiani, commercial and marketing director of the bubbles sector of Marchesi Antinori s.p.a., importer in Italy of the champagnes of the Maison Perrier Jouet and member of Les Enfants du champagne, organized a visit to Epernay, to the Maison Perrier Jouet.
It took about a year and a half to manage to combine everyone’s commitments and finally on February 8th we were able to leave, some from Florence, some from Rome and some from Milan. The participants were the Les Enfants du champagne: Leo Damiani, Marco Maffei, Orazio Vagnozzi, Stefano Azzolari, Roberto Schneuwly, Maurizio Tarquini, Valerio Mearini and myself.
Leo also invited two friends who are passionate about champagne, Alberto Lupetti, a journalist, and Paolo Beltramini, the owner of a restaurant on the Tuscan coast of Livorno, whom I didn’t know.
but years ago I had met his brother Giancarlo Beltramini, as I was also from Livorno and with whom I had shared the rental of an apartment during the winter season in Abetone.
Unfortunately I learned from Paolo, with great regret, that Giancarlo had passed away in 2013.
We all met in Paris where a vehicle was waiting for us to take us to Epernay. On the way we stopped at the restaurant, A.Gouiette, in Saint Germain sur Morin, where we had a food and wine break. We then continued our journey and arrived at the Maison Belle Epoque Perrier Jouet which is located in Epernay in the Avenue de champagne. It is a house, all in Art Nouveau style where there are 350 objects and furniture of the time. It is the most important collection in the world of Art Nouveau.
This house is used only by invited people and this I assure you it doesn’t happen to everyone. Being ten of us, three of us were hosted in a structure adjacent to the “L and B” owned by another champagne house, equipped with a few wonderful suites.
I have been to the Maison Belle Epoque several times, so I gladly gave my seat to a friend of the group.
As soon as we arrived in our rooms we went to visit the beautiful cellars dug out of the chalk and then went again to the Maison Belle Epoque where we tasted three commercially available champagnes: the Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2012, the Belle Epoque 2014 and the Belle Epoque rosé 2013. What a good start!
After this tasting we rested for an hour and then had an aperitif drinking the non-vintage Blanc de Blancs. From the windows of the bar room in which there were about a hundred old and non-old glasses, each one different from the other, we were asked to choose a glass for the aperitif, with the friendly and competent chef de Cave Séverine Frerson, who succeeded Hervé deschamps.
We then took a seat in the dining room and we were introduced to chef Sébastien Morellon, a pupil of Pierre Gagnaire who told us about his menu for the evening which was accompanied in order to Blanc del Blanc s.a., the Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 1993 , the Belle Epoque 1998, the vintage 1988 and the Belle Epoque rosé 1999. What can I say, during dinner we commented on the food, the champagnes and the perfect pairings, while Séverine told us about the experience she is having inside the Maison. I complimented her on the stupendous Belle Epoque 2013 endowed with finesse, elegance and character.
After saying goodbye to Séverine, we went to our rooms to rest.
The next morning we all gathered at the Maison to share an excellent breakfast and then, go and see the two most important Chardonnay parcels for Perrier Jouet “Bourrons leroy” and ” Bourrons du midi”. The day, like the previous one, was chilly but kissed by the sun.
When we stopped to see the vineyards, Leo gave us a further surprise, he pulled glasses and two bottles of Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2012 out of a bag.
All joyful we did not hold back and we toasted thanking Leo for the wonderful surprise. Happy for the surprise, we left for Reims to allow those of us who had never seen the Cathedral before to visit it.
I went with Leo, Valerio Mearini and Alberto Lupetti to look for a cheese shop, the best, and having found it, we went in and Leo bought several cheeses for some of his friends who had asked him for them for dinner.
During our stop in the shop a very nice and smiling lady came in and asked us if we liked the champagne. We answered yes to that question and she asked us if we liked Krug champagne. Obviously we said yes and that we knew Oliver and Remy Krug and the lady smiling said that Olivier was her nephew and that Renny was her husband. We were speechless! What a great and pleasant surprise. Alberto reminded the lady that he had written a book about Krug and had sent a copy to Remy. We said goodbye to Mrs. Krug, happy to have met her by chance.
Soon after we joined the others to go to Brasserie Le Jardin, Domaine Les Crayères. Leo surprised us by having invited Hervé Deschamps to lunch, who was celebrated with his wonderful Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2012.
Very pleasant lunch. Having said goodbye to Hervé, we went to the Paris airport to return each to their own city. We were all happy and satisfied by this wonderful experience.
Valerio had the idea of taking the empty magnum of the Belle Epoque rosé 1999 which he had to put in his luggage without protection, not having been able to take it with him as hand luggage. The mystery was: will the bottle arrive intact or broken?
Upon arrival in Florence, the luggage was opened and the bottle was…… intact.
Let’s come to the notes of the champagnes tasted and drunk.
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BELLE EPOQUE BLANC DE BLANCS, vintage 2012
(Grapes : 100% Chardonnay)
Beautiful bright golden yellow. The bubbles are quite fine and then very fine and quite numerous.
The olfactory stage shows aromas of pineapple, minerals, sweets from the outside of the sugared almond, white flowers, saltiness, graphite, Marseille soap, mentholates, green tea, sour rennet apple, ending with hints of almond.
On the palate it is a riot of pleasure with fine and caressing bubbles and flavors of lemon and yellow grapefruit.
The body is medium and the wine is well balanced, the freshness and minerality completely dominate the alcohol mass. Its gustatory persistence is long with a finish of hard candy (charms) with lemon, lime and a very finish of acacia honey.
The final honey mitigates the freshness a bit. In my experience this is the best blanc de blancs ever made by the Maison.
The first year of production was 1993 but never in my experience have I tasted a blanc de blancs as complex as the 2012. (98/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BELLE EPOQUE, vintage 2014
(Grapes : 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir e 5% Pinot Meunier)
Shiny golden yellow dress with fine and numerous bubbles.
Intense aromas of mineral and blond leather rise from the glass followed by wild strawberries, slightly green rennet apple (reminds me of the core) light varnish enamel, green tea, anemone, cocoa butter for lips (lip gloss), ripe banana, to finish with pinches of Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk).
Pleasant sip with fine bubbles and medium body, not very generous. Sapid and mineral wine with freshness in relief on the alcoholic mass.
Its persistence is long, more than for the structure, for the acidity.
Lemon and green apple finish. I remember the 2013 very well, which surprised me positively for its finesse, elegance and structure. (93/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BELLE EPOQUE ROSE’, vintage 2013
(Grapes : 50% Pinot Noir, 45 % Chardonnay, e 5% Pinot Meunier)
Old pink color with fine and numerous bubbles.
Bouquet made of scents of Marseille soap, raspberry, wild strawberry, almond shell, blond leather, bitter, russet pear, intense minerals, Saronno amaretto and green banana peel.
The body is medium, fine, elegant with fine bubbles. Well balanced wine with the freshness in complete prominence on the alcohol mass. Its gustatory persistence is long with a bitter and amaretto finish.
(95/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BLANC DE BLANCS not vintage
(Grapes : 100% Chardonnay, with a prevalence of the 2016 vintage)
It shines light golden yellow. The bubbles are fine and numerous.
Perfumes of parsley, fresh celery, sweets from the outside of the candy, pineapple, cotton wool (fabric starch), iodine rise from the glass, ending with mineral puffs. Tasting with quite fine bubbles and medium body. Balanced, savory, mineral wine, with flavors of parsley and fresh celery that remain during its long persistence. (90/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BELLE EPOQUE Blanc de Blancs, vintage 1993
(Grapes : 100% Chardonnay)
This champagne was created by the very good chef de Cave Hervée Deschamps.
Golden yellow coat with very fine and quite numerous bubbles.
Magical nose, pleasantly captivating made up of aromas of popcorn (mineral), acacia honey, sweets from the outside of the sugared almond, intense juniper berry and vanilla. The olfactory journey continues with notes of ripe jujube, cotton wool (starch), flint, lemon peel, lemon tea, ending with chamomile puffs.
On tasting it has a medium-sized body, a slightly bitter flavour, accompanied by juniper berries and lemon.
Wine with excellent gustatory balance with the freshness that dominates the alcohol mass. Long but not very long is its intense gustatory persistence with juniper berry finish. (94/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BELLE EPOQUE, vintage 1998
(Grapes : 50% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay e 5% Pinot Meunier)
Formato Magnum
Magnum format
Shiny gold with fine and quite numerous bubbles.
Olfactory mix made of almond shell aromas, intense rubber, mineral, orange peel, anemone, juniper berry, caper, blond leather, anchovy light, ending with zabaglione hints.
Pleasant mouth, the body is medium plus, flavors of almond shell, lemon zest. Well balanced wine with freshness and minerality that dominate the alcoholic mass without second thoughts. Its intense aromatic persistence is long. (97/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
Millesimato, vintage 1988
(Grapes: 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Chardonnay e 1/3 Pinot Meunier)
Magnum Format
It shines golden yellow. The bubbles are fine and quite numerous.
The olfactory meeting is very pleasant, one can perceive aromas of juniper berries and intense flint and vanilla. Followed by hints of white pepper, gunpowder, almond, salted grilled meat, popcorn (minerals), anemone, rubber, ending with hints of almond coconut milk (colla Coccoina).
Mouth satisfied by a medium body and fine bubbles. Perfect balance between freshness, minerality and alcohol. The latter is imperceptible.
Long is its intense aromatic persistence with a bitter orange finish.
The body is not excessive, it becomes thinner and at that point it is the freshness that allows the wine to lengthen its persistence.
This version is not the Belle Epoque with the usual blend but is a simple (so to speak) vintage with a different blend. (97/100)
MAISON PERRIER JOUET
BELLE EPOQUE Rosè, vintage 1999
(Grapes: 50% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay e 5% Pinot Meunier)
Magnum format
The color is antique pink and the bubbles are fine and numerous.
The nose is varied and pleasant with aromas of raspberry, ripe banana, mint, eucalyptus, juniper berry, bitter, flint, Coccoina glue (almond milk), violet, blond leather, rust, ending with whispers of green pepper.
The pleasantness of the palate is also given by the fine and caressing bubbles. Rich and broad wine with flavors of raspberry and rust.
Its gustatory balance is perfect thanks to the generous freshness and minerality that completely overwhelm the alcoholic mass. Its aromatic persistence is long and intense with a fruity and mineral finish. (100/100)
They have been two intense days, full of pleasure and satisfaction.
