Armand de Brignac first appeared on the scene in October 2006, when the world got a peep of it in a Jay-Z music video called Show Me What You Got.

In the video, after a day of jet-setting around Monaco, Jay-Z is presented with a gold bottle in a silver briefcase; the market went wild, everyone wanted to know what it was, where was it from, and who made it. Jay-Z has always been associated with luxury brands, so it was no surprise that the hip-hop media started to speculate if the rap star had business interest in this Champagne. On my recent trip to France I caught up with Brett Berish, President and CEO of Sovereign Brands LLC the company that owns the Armand de Brignac brand in partnership with producer Cattier Champagne. Brett was happy that the product was available in Jamaica, and explained that while Jay-Z is not involved in the business, he is a big fan of the Champagne and he actually was the reason why it is now in the Jamaican market. Jay-Z was travelling to Jamaica and reached out to Brett and his team to ensure that product was in the country for his visit.

Who makes the ‘Ace’?

Armand de Brignac is produced by the Cattier Champagne house in Chigny-les-Roses, France, by winemaker and chateau owner Jean-Jacques Cattier and his son Alexandre along with their small staff of about eight or so persons.

All grapes for Armand de Brignac are a personal selection of Cattier. The Cattier family has owned vineyards in the region since the 1700s. The entire process is by hand, there is no modern machinery, no production line, no automation line; from the picking of the grapes to placing the label on the bottle and polishing the bottle. It is believed that this might be the only 100 per cent handcrafted Champagne in the world. The name was inspired by a character in a book that was being read by a Cattier family member decades ago, the product is affectionately called ‘Ace of Spades’ or simply ‘Ace’ because of the logo on the bottle.

Tasting Armand de Brignac Brut

The tasting took place last week at Bin 26 and naturally included a number of regular Champagne buyers who had rave reviews – everyone loved it. Even some of my most critical tasters that usually pick wines apart admitted that they were skeptical, but ended up being blown away by the smooth elegant taste. Heck, some even bought a bottle, which was being offered at a special introductory price, to take home with them.

The Armand de Brignac Brut is a complex, full-bodied Champagne made with equal amounts of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. On the nose it’s a fresh and lively peach with light floral notes. On the palate, the Champagne has a dense creamy texture with a delicate balance of fresh tropical fruits evolving to a long, silky finish.

The producer has two more products on the international market that are not yet available in Jamaica. They are the Armand de Brignac Blanc de Blancs – made with 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes, and the Armand de Brignac Rose – the base white wine is blended with 12 per cent red wine. There is a single vineyard product on the horizon, it will be called Armand de Brignac Clos Yons – made exclusively from grapes from a very special plot of land in their best vineyard.

The packaging

The Armand de Brignac golden bottle has its roots in the French fashion industry; it was originally conceived by the celebrated André Courrèges fashion house. Each bottle comes in an extraordinary black lacquered wooden case complete with a 44-page information booklet. It really looks impressive.

Armand de Brignac has many high-profile admirers all over the world. Jay-Z has contributed tremendously to its popularity due its inclusion in a number of his music videos. Other celebrity fans include Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Roger Federer, George Clooney and LeBron James.

It’s expensive at just under J$50,000 per bottle, but perfect for celebrating a major achievement.

Chris Reckord – entrepreneur and wine enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part-owners of Jamaica’s only Wine Bar – Bin26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines