Brand Story Armand de Brignac
Jay-Z's star crop
The champagne house Armand de Brignac, born from the meeting between the American rapper Jay Z and the house Cattier, is easily recognizable by its Ace of Spades. The Brut Gold cuvée, rated 96/100 by Fine Champagne magazine and voted best champagne in the world. The Bling Bling cuvée is a blend of 3 grape varieties and 3 years of production (2012, 2010, 2009). It is made from the most beautiful champagne glasses and is sought after by many celebrities.
Discover the Cuvée des Stars!
Today, Armand De Brignac champagne can be tasted by the amateurs of Great Champagnes in nearly 40 countries. This is a huge reward for a very high quality product, highlighting its best know-how. The international gastronomic press is unanimous in praising the exceptional quality of these vintages. All the grapes used for Armand de Brignac come from terroirs classified Grand Cru and Premier Cru. They are selected from the most renowned terroirs of the Marne, the historical birthplace of Champagne.
Each bottle is made only with the highest quality juice called "la Cuvée", produced in volumes lower than the authorized ones. The grapes used are carefully selected by hand before pressing. This is what makes Armand De Brignac a great cuvée today.
Only the best juices from each harvest are selected to produce more complex and refined Champagnes after aging. The brand's winemakers have created a unique signature cuvée that embodies uncompromising quality and personality. Armand de Brignac represents the fusion of modern sensibility and great heritage.
The origins of the brand Armand de Brignac are intimately linked to the house of Champagne Cattier.
On the mountain of Reims, in the village of Chigny-les-Roses, the members of the Cattier family, harvesters since the 17th century, became producers after the First World War. Today, Cattier owns as many vineyards as Henriot, and mostly premiers crus, located in Chigny-les-Roses, Rilly-la-Montagne, Taissy and Ludes, half of the vines being pinot noir
Cattier prides itself on having a tiny walled vineyard of 2.2 hectares in the commune, the Clos du Moulin, from which it produces its prestige vintages. Like the Comtes de Champagne of Taittinger, they are always composed of three vintages. Cattier also produces a blanc de blancs from chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims, which is an interesting contrast to the classic chardonnay of the Côte des Blancs
In 2000, Cattier produced the most expensive champagne in a gold-plated bottle: Champagne Armand de Brignac. Launched six years later, this champagne, identifiable by its ace of spades, quickly rose to prominence thanks to rapper Jay-Z (Shawn Carter): having spotted the glittering bottle at his New York wine shop, the rapper introduced it in one of his videos as early as 2006 after deciding to boycott Cristal from Louis Roederer. Jay-Z even invested in the brand, still produced by Cattier, and made "a little over $4 million" in one year, according to author Zack O'Malley Greenburg
Luxury goods giant LVMH has acquired a 50% stake in the champagne brand Armand de Brignac owned by famed U.S. rapper and producer Jay-Z through his company Moet Hennessy. The deal includes Moët Hennessy's 50% stake in Armand de Brignac and the acquisition of Global Distribution, as described in a press release. Philippe Schaus, CEO of Moët Hennessy, said, "We are committed to reaching a deal on equal footing with Jay-Z and his family. I am proud to have the Arnault family on board," Jay-Z said. "To me, this is an obvious strategic alliance," he added, "We believe in the power of Moët Hennessy's global distribution network, the strength of its unparalleled product portfolio and the historical development of luxury goods." . The exceptional date brand will provide Armand de Brignac with the commercial power necessary for its development".
The Brut Gold champagne was voted Best Champagne in the World at a tasting organized by Fine Champagne magazine.
The brand is positioned as expensive. 360 € for the entry-level vintages, 550 € for the great wines, 400 € for the rosés, 800 € for the whites... no vintages match these prices. However, they are worth the amount that Jay-Z spent to acquire the brand. In fact, we are talking about 30 million euros. It's all in that oversized image. Every year, Armand de Brignac produces dozens of midas, a 30-liter bottle that trades at more than 190,000 euros. No wonder, under these circumstances, that the French billionaire Bernard Arnault, owner of LVMH, of which Moët & Chandon is a bridgehead in the world of wines and spirits, has taken a keen interest in the brand. Moreover, the entry-level wines ofArmand de Brignac cost twice as much as the great vintage Dom Pérignon of Moët & Chandon.
Moët Hennessy, the holding company for the "Wines & Spirits" arm of the luxury group LVMH, has announced that it has taken a 50% stake in the champagne brand Armand de Brignac and 50% by the famous American rapper and producer Jay-Z in 2022.