Ace of Spades Champagne
Armand De Brignac or Ace of Spades Champagne is produced in the Champagne region of France where the first champagnes were first produced in the 17th century after many years of wines produced by the Catholic church for anointing French Kings.
Winemaking began in this Champagne region in medieval days, but there were no sparkling wines until the 17th century. The Catholic Church owned many of the vineyards and the monks made wine for use in religious ceremonies. French Kings were anointed in the Montagne de Rheims Terroir of Champagne.
Today the Champagne region of France consists of the towns of Rheims, Epernay and Ay.
Winemaking continues in Champagne and the Armand de Brignac is produced by Armand de Brignac Champagne of Rheims, France.
The Cattier family has owned and cultivated land in the Champagne region's Montagne de Reims Terroir since 1763. The name Armand de Brignac was coined in the 1950's
The Cattier house maintains a history and reputation for producing "exquisite" champagne.
Armand de Brignac bottles are filled, corked, and cultivated by hand; and the Armand de Brignac cellars are known to be the deepest cellars in Reims Terroir.
The famous gold bottle that packages the Armand de Brignac was originally designed and developed by Cattier for the Andie Courregas Fashion House. The labels on each bottle are made of pure pewter and shaped like the Spade with an A inscribed on the Spade. Each Ace of Spades label is polished and applied by hand.
Ace of Spades Champagne is a favorite of musicians, celebrities, and is seen in videos.
The bottle was featured in Jay-Z's (Show Me What You Got) music video. It also showed up at Queen Elizabeth II of England's Golden Jubilee Celebration.
It has become a famous gold bottle and even the empty bottle without the wine is worth money. It is advertised for sale on Craig's List and listed as 'Gold Armand De Brignac "Ace of Spades" Champagne Bottle - $100.' (http://newjersey.craigslist.o rg/clt/521905522.thtml).
The Ace of Spades Champagne is described as "marvelously complex, full-bodied, with bouquet that is both fresh and lively;" "sumptuous, racy, fruit character;" subtle brioche accents;" and the texture is described as creamy. It is a multi-vintage blend of 33% each of the following grapes:
- Pinot Noir
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Menuier
Ace of Spades Champagne is labeled as Armand de Brignac NV Brut Gold Champagne Ace of Spades.
Two other wines are maturing in the Armand de Brignac cellars. They are a Champagne Rose' and a Blanc de Blanc. The Champagne Rose' will come packaged in a pink gold bottle and embossed with a matching pewter label. The Blanc de Blanc will come in a silver hand-dipped bottle with silver antique labels. These wines will be released on maturity.
Armand de Brignac NV Brut Gold Champagne is priced anywhere from $256.79 to 599.99 per bottle. The price in France is $3098.00 per bottle.
There are limited quantities of Ace of Spades champagne available. For instance KL Wines lists 3 bottles at the main warehouse, 6 bottles in Redwood City, and 4 bottles in Hollywood.
(www.Klwines.com/detail.asp?sk u=1030627&cid=TPV-Googlebase).
For a list of stores selling Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) Champagne go to: (www.wine-searcher.com/find/ar mand+de+brignac/1/-/USD/A/26).
Sources:
(www.armandchampagne.com)
(www.wallywine.com/pm-29734-35 93-armand-de-brignac-ace-of-sp ades-champagne-750ml.aspx)