Tasting Notes: Marvellously complex and full-bodied, with a bouquet that is both fresh and lively. Its sumptuous, racy fruit character is perfectly integrated with the wine’s subtle brioche accents. Its texture is deliciously creamy and the palate has great depth and impact with a long and silky finish. A superb and singular example of a Prestige Champagne. A complex yet sharply focused Brut. “Pale lemony colour. Smooth peach nose with pear and floral notes. Complex with mineral smokiness, restraint, honey and spicy finesse. Creamy, foamy palate with good freshness and tropical fruit. Linear with compact fruit and wonderful length. Enjoyable today but there is great potential ahead.” Rated World’s Number 1 Champagne in a blind-tasting competition of 1,000 Champagne brands, ahead of every other Champagne brand in the world. (Fine Champagne Magazine – published November 2009). Grape Variety: 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 20% Pinot Meunier. Dosage – 10.9 g/l Background Information: Armand de Brignac (also known as “Ace of Spades”) is produced by the Cattier family estate, owners of Champagne vineyards since 1763 and recognized as one of the world’s best Champagne producers by Robert Parker, Tom Stevenson, Jancis Robinson, and others. Bottled in limited quantities through traditional hand labour-intensive methods by a small staff of only eight people, overseen by father and son oenologues Jean-Jacques and Alexandre Cattier. The Grapes for the Brut Gold and Rosé cuvées are taken from three terroirs in the cradle of Champagne: the Marne department. These include the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. The Blanc de Blancs cuvée is made solely of Chardonnay grapes from the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs terroirs. All grapes are from villages rated Premier or Grand Cru. Jean-Jacques & Alexandre Cattier have selected grapes from Armand de Brignac’s own vineyards and from villages in the terroirs mentioned above, including Grand Cru villages Cramant, Avize, Oger, & Choully, and Premier Cru towns Ludes, Rilly-la-Montagne, Villers Allerand, Taissy, Villers Marmery, and Mareuil-sur-Ay for each bottling of Armand de Brignac. The wine is a top fraction of the first cuvée pressing on our traditional Coquart press, used to extract the cuvée slowly and with the highest quality of juice. Each cuvée is a blend of three distinct vintages, allowing for more complexity, richness, and nuance of aromas than a comparable single-vintage wine. The Armand de Brignac bottles age in a gated section of the Cattier cellars, considered among the deepest in Champagne at more than 30 meters underground. This ensures a low, constant temperature conducive to slow ageing. Remuage (riddling) is done entirely by hand on traditional wooden racks, over a period of 30-45 days. After disgorgement, the Champagne is rested for at least an additional 6 months before bottles can be released. Each Armand de Brignac cuvée includes a unique liqueur de dosage aged 9 months in oak casks, previously used for ageing Burgundy Chardonnay.