Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2004 is the house's prestige vintage Champagne, now with two decades of bottle age. It comes in the enamelled anemone bottle that has dressed Belle Epoque since its first release.
About This Champagne
The 2004 blend is 50% Chardonnay from Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, 46% Pinot Noir from Mailly, Aÿ, Ambonnay and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and 4% Meunier from Dizy and Venteuil. It spent six years on its lees before disgorgement, with a dosage of 9 g/L and 12.5% ABV. In Champagne, 2004 was a big crop saved by a warm September, and the better Chardonnays kept good freshness. On release this wine showed white peach and brioche; with age it has moved into a toastier, more honeyed stage.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Brioche and white peach, with honeysuckle, ripe pear and roasted-nut notes from bottle age.
- Palate: Creamy and balanced, peach and baked apple over a softened mousse and a clear line of Chardonnay acidity.
- Finish: Medium-long, with toast, almond and a faint floral echo.
Serving & Food
Serve a little warmer than a young Champagne, at about 10 to 12°C, in a white-wine glass. Good with steamed garoupa, lobster in butter sauce or a mature Comté. Plan to drink it over the next several years while the fruit is still lively.
How to Enjoy
Anniversary dinners, and anyone curious to taste a Belle Epoque with twenty years in the cellar.
Product Details
Producer: Perrier-Jouët
Cuvée: Belle Epoque
Vintage: 2004
Region: Champagne, France
Blend: 50% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir, 4% Meunier
Dosage: 9 g/L
ABV: 12.5%
Volume: 750mL
About the Maison
Perrier-Jouët was founded in Épernay in 1811 by Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose Adélaïde Jouët, and Chardonnay has led the house style from the start, with grand cru holdings in Cramant and Avize at its core. In 1902 the Art Nouveau artist Émile Gallé designed a spray of white Japanese anemones for the house. That design was later enamelled onto the bottle of a new prestige cuvée, Belle Epoque, first released with the 1964 vintage. The house has belonged to Pernod Ricard since 2005, and Séverine Frerson is now its cellar master.