Perrier-Jouët was established in 1811 by Pierre-Nicolas-Marie Perrier, adding the maiden name of his wife, Ad le Jouët, to name the house. They established themselves in the town of Épernay, and set about building up their brand and exploring foreign markets; by 1815 they were already exporting wine to England, and within a few more years they added the USA to their list of export destinations.
Such success obviously led to a greater demand for their wines, and the family were soon acquiring or planting new vineyards in Aÿ, Avize, Cramant, Mailly and elsewhere. Many were planted with Chardonnay, bringing a delicacy to the Perrier-Jouët style, a style said to have been favoured by Pierre-Nicolas-Marie, and a trait that can still be found in the wines of Perrier-Jouët today.
Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, the first Brut champagne was created by Perrier-Jouët, in a search for perfection and quality.
In his desire to keep his English clients satisfied, the then Cellar Master decided to significantly reduce the amount of sugar in his cuvées and thus unveil the finesse of his compositions. And so was born the first Brut champagne, the world's most frequently tasted champagne. Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut is a direct heir of this tradition.
Today, Hervé Deschamps, the House's 7th Cellar Master, pursues this same quest for excellence and has made it his personal mission to uphold the heritage, recreating the Perrier-Jouët style with each cuvée, a balance of charm and elegance. In the tradition of creative craftsmanship that is the hallmark of the House, the Cellar Master composes each wine in its entirety separately, following his sudden intuitions, making each cuvée a unique work of art.
For the first Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, the composition is 40% based on the vinosity and the structure of the pinot noir from the grands crus and premiers crus of the Mailly, Verzy, Aÿ and Rilly-la Montagne terroirs. Noble and subtle, these pinot noirs bring out the fruitiness of the charming and generous meuniers of the Dizy, Damery, Venteuil or Vincelles and Vinay terroirs (40% of the composition).
Finally the chardonnays of the grand crus of Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil and Chouilly, which make up 20% of the composition, lend an added touch of freshness and minerality. To attain the perfection demanded by Perrier-Jouët the bottles are kept for three years in the House's chalk cellars, located under the Avenue de Champagne, the historic heart of the label of origin.
