Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque spotlight
The Pernod Ricard Luxury Channel presents Perrier-Jouet, the Epernay house behind this 2014 Belle Epoque Brut, the anemone cuvee first released in 1964.
2014 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut Champagne, France
Perrier-Jouet's anemone cuvee, Wine Enthusiast 95, a 2014 vintage Champagne you can open at one hundred fifty dollars.
The 2014 Belle Epoque is 50 percent Chardonnay, 45 percent Pinot Noir, and 5 percent Meunier: vine peach, poached pear, linden, and a chalky lemon-curd close, now $150.
A vintage Belle Epoque, not a non-vintage house Brut with flowers on the glass
Belle Epoque launched in 1964 in the Emile Galle anemone bottle designed in 1902. The 2014 is 50 percent Chardonnay from Cramant and Avize, 45 percent Pinot Noir, 5 percent Meunier, 8 grams dosage, about six years on lees. Wine Enthusiast 95: white fruit and honeysuckle, apples, a touch of toast. James Suckling 94: apricot stones, almonds, dried lemon, beeswax, chamomile, chalk. Wine Spectator 94. Jeb Dunnuck 94. Herve Deschamps made this vintage. Severine Frerson now leads the cellar. Six-bottle allocation.
The house
Pierre Nicolas Perrier and Rose Adelaide Jouet founded the house in 1811 in Epernay. Belle Epoque is the prestige cuvee, anemones on the glass since 1964.
The wine
2014 vintage. 50/45/5. 8 g/l dosage. Pale gold, fine mousse, peach and pear, chalky close. 12.5% ABV.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 95. James Suckling 94. Wine Spectator 94. Jeb Dunnuck 94.
The drinker
Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. Fried chicken or chilled crab and oysters. Six-bottle allocation.
Vine peach and poached pear, then chalk and lemon curd
The house note is pale gold, vine peach and poached pear, linden and hawthorn blossom, then juicy peach, pear, and tangy rhubarb. James Suckling found apricot stones, almonds, dried lemons, beeswax, chamomile, and dried mushrooms, sharp and chalky. Wine Spectator found pastry cream, yellow apple and pear, almond biscotti, elderflower, and preserved lemon on a creamy, finely meshed mousse. Jeb Dunnuck found white peach, pineapple, and tropical flowers.
A cooler, wetter Champagne year that kept energy. Belle Epoque 2014 drinks as peach, pear, and chalk rather than heavy brioche. Drink now through about 2035.
Vine peach, poached pear, apple, linden, hawthorn, rhubarb, almond, beeswax.
Fine mousse, 12.5% ABV, 8 g/l dosage, Chardonnay-led, six years on lees.
Chalk, lemon curd, mineral. Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant.
Cote des Blancs Chardonnay, then Pinot for structure
Chardonnay from Cramant and Avize Grands Crus gives delicacy and minerality. Pinot Noir, including chalky Mailly, gives structure. A little Meunier rounds the blend. Six years on lees, then 8 grams per liter dosage. Herve Deschamps signed the 2014. Severine Frerson, first woman chef de cave at the house, now holds the cellar.
The anemone bottle is Galle, 1902, put into production with the first Belle Epoque in 1964.
Serve 46 to 50 F in a white-wine glass if you want peach and pear to open.
An Art Nouveau bottle, a prestige cuvee since 1964
Belle Epoque was the first millesime of this anemone cuvee. The house is still Epernay, still Chardonnay-led in tone.
The house began in 1811. The Galle anemones made the bottle recognizable worldwide.
Severine Frerson is the eighth chef de cave since 1811 and the first woman in the role.
The 2014 is that cuvee in a bright vintage, six-bottle allocation, one hundred fifty dollars against $300 typical.
Crunch, brine, then yellow fruit
Belle Epoque has the mousse to reset fried crust and the minerality to meet oysters. Peach and pear handle salt without turning sweet.
Two plates. One crispy fried chicken. One chilled crab and oyster platter. Both can take vintage Champagne.
Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. A white-wine glass lets peach and pear widen.
Crispy buttermilk fried chicken
The fine mousse resets the palate after each crunchy bite, while peach and pear handle the salt.
Why it works: Acidity and minerality cut the crust. Chardonnay cut meets the seasoning without extra sweetness.
View Recipe for crispy buttermilk fried chicken (opens in a new tab)
Chilled crab and oysters with mignonette
Sweet crab and briny oysters meet pear, salinity, and a mineral finish.
Why it works: Lemon and shallot mirror the wine's chalk and citrus edge.
View Recipe for chilled crab and oysters with mignonette (opens in a new tab)Put this Belle Epoque in the cart
Perrier-Jouet 2014, Wine Enthusiast 95. One hundred fifty dollars against a $300 typical retail.
Put six in the cart. This is vintage Belle Epoque for a table that actually opens Champagne, not a bottle that stays in the box.
