Perrier-Jouët is the Épernay Champagne house that has built its style on Chardonnay since 1811. Its prestige cuvée, Belle Epoque, is recognisable at a glance by the white anemones designed by glass artist Émile Gallé. Here you will find the house's Blanc de Blancs and Grand Brut alongside Belle Epoque in several vintages, in rosé and in magnum.
Perrier-Jouët: a Champagne house founded by a married couple in 1811
Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose-Adélaïde Jouët married in 1810 and a year later started a Champagne house under both their surnames. Pierre-Nicolas soon bought plots in Avize and Cramant, two Côte des Blancs villages now classified as grand cru. He is also said to have been the first to mark the cru and vintage on the cork as a guarantee of origin.
Their son Charles and later Henri Gallice carried the house forward, and its Champagne was served at the tables of Napoleon III and Queen Victoria.
Chardonnay from Cramant and Avize at the heart of the style
Where many large houses lean on Pinot Noir, Perrier-Jouët made Chardonnay its signature grape. The best parcels are in the Côte des Blancs, with Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne. The result is a light, precise style that puts finesse ahead of power.
The house has had only a handful of cellar masters in more than 200 years. Hervé Deschamps led the blending from 1993, and in October 2020 Séverine Frerson took over as the eighth cellar master and the first woman in the role.
Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut and Blanc de Blancs: the non-vintage Champagnes
Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut is the house's classic brut and the natural way into its style. It is blended from around forty crus with a share of reserve wines, giving a fresh, fruity Champagne that stays consistent from year to year. It also comes in magnum.
Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs is made from Chardonnay alone and shows the core of the house in its purest form: pale, elegant and lively. It is also available in a gift box with two glasses.
Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque: the prestige cuvée with the anemones
In 1902 Émile Gallé decorated a series of magnums with Japanese anemones in Art Nouveau style. The design was forgotten until the house rediscovered it in 1964 and gave it to a new prestige cuvée. The first vintage was released in 1969 as Belle Epoque.
Belle Epoque is made only in selected years and is often around half Chardonnay from the grand cru villages of Cramant, Avize and Chouilly, with Pinot Noir from villages such as Mailly and Verzy. You will find the 2008 (also in magnum and a three-litre bottle), 2012 in magnum, 2014 in a gift box and 2016, plus the Luminous 2007 edition.
Belle Epoque Rosé takes its colour from a small share of red wine made from Pinot Noir, adding red berries and fine structure. Look for 2005 and 2007 in magnum, 2006 in a gift box, 2014 and a mature 1988.
Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs is the rarest wine of the house, made from Chardonnay grown in the Bourons Leroy and Bourons du Midi parcels in Cramant. The 2002 and 2004 vintages show how gracefully it develops with age.
Explore our Blanc de Blancs Champagne, rosé Champagne and magnums, or browse the full range of Champagne and wines made from Chardonnay.
Perrier-Jouët Champagne: frequently asked questions
Which grapes does Perrier-Jouët use?
The house works with the three classic Champagne grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, but Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs is its signature. The Blanc de Blancs and Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs are made entirely from Chardonnay.
What is the difference between Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut and Belle Epoque?
Grand Brut is the non-vintage Champagne, blended across many crus and years for a consistent style. Belle Epoque is the prestige cuvée from a single good year, with more grand cru Chardonnay and longer ageing on the lees.
Can you age Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque?
Yes. Belle Epoque is built to develop in bottle and gains notes of nuts, honey and brioche over the years.