The Cattier House elaborates its champagne from the vineyards to the bubbles with a traditional and creative mind to guarantee exceptional quality. 12th and 13th generation wine growers, Jean-Jacques Cattier and his son, Alexandre, crafted the prestige cuvées of Armand de Brignac. Their dream was to create champagne of the most exceptional quality, that would represent the best of the best from the region, where their family has grown vines for more than 250 years. The Cattier family is based in the Montagne de Reims and own 33 hectares of vines across some of the most lauded crus in Champagne, including the villages of Rilly-la-Montagne, Chigny-les-Roses and Ludes. The fruit selection is guided by the intimate knowledge the Cattier family have of the tapestry of vineyards in Champagne, after working the land for more than 250 years. Sustainability is a core principle of the Cattier’s vineyard management and their owned lands are certified HVE level 3 – the highest grading from the French government – acknowledging the level of care they give to the environment, to protect it for future generations.
In the early 2000s, Jean Jacques Cattier aimed at creating a luxury Champagne brand with a different approach than a historic one. The philosophy of this cuvee was to respond to a double and ambivalent imperative: be innovative while remaining traditional. The answer to this aspiration was to place innovation both in packaging and tradition, with knowledge in the champagne production. The first blends were defined according to a strict selection of Crus. Every step was carefully considered with one single guideline: the choice of excellence! To create the bottle design, Champagne Cattier selected metalized bottles, already used by the house in the 90s for the fashion designer Andre Courreges. Each color corresponding to a specific wine. And for the labels, Champagne Cattier chose pewter. The final bottle was perfected in collaboration with a US partner that contacted in the meantime for a distribution agreement. Champagne Cattier granted them an old brand: Armand de Brignac.
Initially, this brand was created by Nelly Cattier in the 50s for a specific and exclusive distribution with a Parisian customer, who finally didn’t use it. She was inspired by a novel she read and loved and whose main character was Mr. De Brignac. Jean-Jacques revived this brand again in tribute to his mother who worked her whole life for the expansion of the firm. The first release from Champagne Armand de Brignac, the Brut Gold remains the most iconic cuvée in the range. Only including the very first and freshest portion of the cuvée press, in order to produce the very best champagnes possible, is a winemaking signature of Armand de Brignac. This intense selectivity and meticulous attention to detail ensure the juice abounds with vibrant fruit character, soft texture and balanced acidity.
Each bottle of Champagne Armand de Brignac is finished with a unique dosage, which comprises the finest base wine of the harvest, aged for one year in new French Oak. This winemaking touch provides subtle complexity to the finished cuvées, introducing hints of baked pastry, vanilla and toastiness. Unique to Champagne Armand de Brignac is the blending of a trio of vintages. Each assemblage brings together the unique characters from three distinct harvests while maintaining a powerful lineage from blend to blend.
2006 was the year of the release of the first bottles of Armand de Brignac in the USA. Very rapidly this Champagne was adopted by the US singer Jay-Z who decided to feature it into a music video for one of his songs. This unexpected highlighting triggered a 'big bang' for Armand de Brignac and the beginning of a wonderful story for Champagne house.
2010 was the year of oenological consecration: Armand de Brignac Gold Brut was awarded best Champagne in the world, during a blind tasting hosted by the international journal Fine Champagne Magazine including the most prestigious Champagne brands and carried out by sommeliers, Masters of Wine, winemakers and other experts. Armand de Brignac is now a key brand in the world of luxury and has become champagne acknowledged for the exceptional quality of its wine.
