Wine Article
NV Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Impérial
Last edited on 11/16/2011 by Eric
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Founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, Champagne Moët was almost immediately introduced at the Court of France. Madame de Pompadour, French courtesan and Louis XV’s mistress, even became its first ambassador in 1750.
Claude Louis Nicolas Moët succeed to his father, yet the man who led the Champagne house to its first glories and lasting international success was the founder’s grandson, Jean Remy Moët (1758-1841). He was an illustrious personality, friends with many of the celebrities of his time. He was also a very skilful businessman, who despite the conflicts of wars and revolutions of his era built up an international mercantile network, selling his Champagnes to various countries around Europe and even across the ocean. Today Moët & Chandon still holds a Royal Warrant to supply Champagne to Queen Elizabeth II.
Very early on Jean Remy Moët became friends with the future Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, while the latter was still at military school in Brienne. Napoleon, who was a great lover of Champagne, once said, “I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate… and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself.”
Later Napoleon Bonaparte who came to visit his friend Jean Remy Moët several times in Epernay, decorated him with the medal of the “Legion d’Honneur”, which he took from his own suit to put it on the one of Mr. Moët, the major of Epernay. A marble plate with engraved golden letters situated at the entry of the Moët cellar gives lasting testimony of this visit. Also several pieces of furniture and various other objects the Emperor offered to his friend can still be admired in the “Salon Impérial”. This reception hall has been specifically constructed by Jean Remy Moët to receive his friend Napoleon. The name of “Brut Impérial ”, which was given in 1863 to the former “J. Moët & Fils” Champagne, by Jean Remy Moët’s heirs, is a lasting homage to that episode.
Other than building up the Moët Empire, he was the one who in 1793 constructed the splendiferous neoclassical property that visitors can still admire Avenue de Champagne in Epernay.
The Trianon, across the street, is composed of two major buildings, a French garden, and an Orangery. The structure was conceived and constructed by one of Mr. Moët’s prominent friends, the miniaturist painter to Empress Joséphine Bonaparte, Jean Baptiste Isabey. Richard Wagner, another famous visitor, is said to have found the inspiration for his opera “Tristan and Yseult”, during his stay at the Trianon. The Moët family lived in the Trianon until 1930, and the place opened for public visits in 1967, several years after the death of the Countess of Chandon-Moët.
Jean Remy Moët quit the direction of the company in 1833, passing Moët to his son Victor Moët and son-in-law, Pierre Gabriel Chandon de Briailles. Henceforth the company was called Moët & Chandon. Victor Moët constructed the beautiful hunting residence of Château de Saran, on a slope not far from Epernay.
In 1985 Louis Vuitton Malletier acquired the Veuve Clicquot group, which included Givenchy. At that time Moët Hennessy already owned Champagne Ruinart, Dior Perfumes, Champagne Mercier, Cosmétiques Roc, Roseraies Delbard, Moët & Chandon, and of course Cognac Hennessy. The two groups stating they were complementary decided to merge in 1987, thus becoming the leading luxury group in the world. Two years later a young shareholder, Bernard Arnault was inaugurated president of LVMH. Today LVMH is the world’s leading luxury group, and Bernard Arnault one of France’s richest, and most powerful businessmen.
But marketing alone is not everything and Moët & Chandon wouldn’t have such a success if the quality didn’t follow. Today Moët possesses over 1000 hectares (2471 acres) of vineyards stretching across 5 of the 17 Grands Crus appellations in Champagne, some of which are single vineyards. Some 28 kilometres (17 miles) of cellars are dug in the chalk underneath the property. The oldest parts of the cellar date back to the creation of the Champagne house in 1743. They all lie underneath the city of Epernay and were constructed on several levels between 10 and 30 metres (11 and 33 yards) below the surface.
The older parts, which date back to the time of Jean Remy Moët, carry the name of “Galerie Impériale” another homage to Napoleon. A 13-hectolitre Portuguese vat the emperor offered to Jean Rémy Moët is still exposed in the cellar.
The winemaking team is currently directed by cellar master Benoit Gouez. To him, the creation of each wine presents its own challenge. He feels that the most important thing in the realisation of the Brut Impérial is regularity. He therefore considers that all the steps of its production and especially the blending decision demand true teamwork.
In general there is a vintage declared every two years, yet with the increasing know-how and technical advancements in the cellars and in the vineyards, the quality of the grapes is on a much higher level than it used to be, which makes it possible to declare vintages more frequently than before.
When it comes to the Brut Impérial, Benoit Gouez defends a very reductive style of winemaking. This means, he tries to let the fruit aromas express themselves as much as possible, by avoiding oxygen contact during all the winemaking processes. Each year about 20 to 30 % of reserve wines are used to make the Brut Impérial and 3 to 4 blending sessions are scheduled per year.
Claude Louis Nicolas Moët succeed to his father, yet the man who led the Champagne house to its first glories and lasting international success was the founder’s grandson, Jean Remy Moët (1758-1841). He was an illustrious personality, friends with many of the celebrities of his time. He was also a very skilful businessman, who despite the conflicts of wars and revolutions of his era built up an international mercantile network, selling his Champagnes to various countries around Europe and even across the ocean. Today Moët & Chandon still holds a Royal Warrant to supply Champagne to Queen Elizabeth II.
Very early on Jean Remy Moët became friends with the future Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, while the latter was still at military school in Brienne. Napoleon, who was a great lover of Champagne, once said, “I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate… and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself.”
Later Napoleon Bonaparte who came to visit his friend Jean Remy Moët several times in Epernay, decorated him with the medal of the “Legion d’Honneur”, which he took from his own suit to put it on the one of Mr. Moët, the major of Epernay. A marble plate with engraved golden letters situated at the entry of the Moët cellar gives lasting testimony of this visit. Also several pieces of furniture and various other objects the Emperor offered to his friend can still be admired in the “Salon Impérial”. This reception hall has been specifically constructed by Jean Remy Moët to receive his friend Napoleon. The name of “Brut Impérial ”, which was given in 1863 to the former “J. Moët & Fils” Champagne, by Jean Remy Moët’s heirs, is a lasting homage to that episode.
Other than building up the Moët Empire, he was the one who in 1793 constructed the splendiferous neoclassical property that visitors can still admire Avenue de Champagne in Epernay.
The Trianon, across the street, is composed of two major buildings, a French garden, and an Orangery. The structure was conceived and constructed by one of Mr. Moët’s prominent friends, the miniaturist painter to Empress Joséphine Bonaparte, Jean Baptiste Isabey. Richard Wagner, another famous visitor, is said to have found the inspiration for his opera “Tristan and Yseult”, during his stay at the Trianon. The Moët family lived in the Trianon until 1930, and the place opened for public visits in 1967, several years after the death of the Countess of Chandon-Moët.
Jean Remy Moët quit the direction of the company in 1833, passing Moët to his son Victor Moët and son-in-law, Pierre Gabriel Chandon de Briailles. Henceforth the company was called Moët & Chandon. Victor Moët constructed the beautiful hunting residence of Château de Saran, on a slope not far from Epernay.
In 1985 Louis Vuitton Malletier acquired the Veuve Clicquot group, which included Givenchy. At that time Moët Hennessy already owned Champagne Ruinart, Dior Perfumes, Champagne Mercier, Cosmétiques Roc, Roseraies Delbard, Moët & Chandon, and of course Cognac Hennessy. The two groups stating they were complementary decided to merge in 1987, thus becoming the leading luxury group in the world. Two years later a young shareholder, Bernard Arnault was inaugurated president of LVMH. Today LVMH is the world’s leading luxury group, and Bernard Arnault one of France’s richest, and most powerful businessmen.
But marketing alone is not everything and Moët & Chandon wouldn’t have such a success if the quality didn’t follow. Today Moët possesses over 1000 hectares (2471 acres) of vineyards stretching across 5 of the 17 Grands Crus appellations in Champagne, some of which are single vineyards. Some 28 kilometres (17 miles) of cellars are dug in the chalk underneath the property. The oldest parts of the cellar date back to the creation of the Champagne house in 1743. They all lie underneath the city of Epernay and were constructed on several levels between 10 and 30 metres (11 and 33 yards) below the surface.
The older parts, which date back to the time of Jean Remy Moët, carry the name of “Galerie Impériale” another homage to Napoleon. A 13-hectolitre Portuguese vat the emperor offered to Jean Rémy Moët is still exposed in the cellar.
The winemaking team is currently directed by cellar master Benoit Gouez. To him, the creation of each wine presents its own challenge. He feels that the most important thing in the realisation of the Brut Impérial is regularity. He therefore considers that all the steps of its production and especially the blending decision demand true teamwork.
In general there is a vintage declared every two years, yet with the increasing know-how and technical advancements in the cellars and in the vineyards, the quality of the grapes is on a much higher level than it used to be, which makes it possible to declare vintages more frequently than before.
When it comes to the Brut Impérial, Benoit Gouez defends a very reductive style of winemaking. This means, he tries to let the fruit aromas express themselves as much as possible, by avoiding oxygen contact during all the winemaking processes. Each year about 20 to 30 % of reserve wines are used to make the Brut Impérial and 3 to 4 blending sessions are scheduled per year.