Perrier Jouet BELLE EPOQUE Vintage Champagne - 1999
Where it's from:
>France
>Champagne
Price per case:
£523.34
Bottle size:
75 cl
Bottles per case:
6
Style:
Dry (Brut) Sparkling
Grapes:
Chardonnay / Pinot Noir / Pinot Meunier
Description:
Cuvee Belle Epoque was launched in 1969, reminding the world of this great Champagne house's history and identifying it with an Art Nouveau style.
Since then, this champagne has become the emblem of Perrier-Jouet, and the ambassador of its expertise. Apart from making an excellent champagne, Perrier-Jouet was the first champagne house to have dared decorate its bottle with flowers. Today, the flower-covered bottle is now instantly recognised all over the world.
This bottle with its swirl of dainty anemones holds Perrier-Jouet's most remarkable champagne and is one of the world's best known prestige cuvees. The success story began with the discovery of a bottle designed by Emile Galle in 1902. The bottle was so strikingly beautiful that Perrier-Jouet resolved to fill it with a prestige champagne.
To achieve this the best grands crus in its vineyard were selected; with a predominance of Chardonnay grapes from the Cote des Blancs district; next it was blended to make a subtle, elegant, refined champagne.
The harvest is sometimes so outstanding that Perrier-Jouet decides to make a vintage Cuvee Belle Epoque. 1996 was one such year, when the quality of the grapes signalled a remarkable harvest from the outset.
Cuvee Belle Epoque 1996 is a harmonious blend of the most prestigious crus in the Champagne wine-making region. The most important are Cramant and Avi ze for Chardonnay; Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy and Bouzy for Pinot Noir; and Aÿ and Dizy for Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
Greenish-gold in colour this champagne has a magnificent, crystalline brightness, while the wine presents an intense, strong effervescence, with fine and regular bubbles.
A reflection of the seasons, with soft notes of white flowers, honey and lemon they are married with the aromas of fresh fruits like plums and pineapple. The flavour confirms the richness of the bouquet with its initial freshness being light but strong and lively, it has some subtle notes of honey and vanilla, culminating in good length on the finish.
