Champagne Joseph Perrier x Brouzje: A Sparkling Collaboration.

Brouzje Champagne is the brand-new importer of Champagne Joseph Perrier in the Netherlands. To celebrate the start of this exclusive collaboration, an introductory tasting event took place in the Grand Hotel Karel V in Utrecht. Our Hermen speaks to Brouzje founder Hinke de Jong and Joseph Perrier export manager Paul Edgar Bredar.

Brouzje

Brouzje is proud importer of a wide range of champagnes in the Netherlands. Founding mother Hinke de Jong is a champagne enthusiast in heart and soul. In 2016, she was named Champagne Ambassador by the Comité Champagne. She shares her knowledge through tastings, masterclasses and presentations and her company Champagne Travel organizes champagne tours and excursions. There must be champagne running through the veins of Hinke de Jong.

Champagne Joseph Perrier

Next year, Champagne Joseph Perrier will celebrate its 200th anniversary. It was founded in 1825 by Joseph Perrier, a former mayor of Châlons-en-Champagne. Perrier is the one and only wine house in the city of Châlons-en-Champagne and there are no vineyards in the immediate vicinity. Paul Edgar Bredar explains: ‘Châlons-en-Champagne is our birth ground. It is a patrimony we cannot leave behind.’ Visitors who will leave the beaten Rheims and Epernay track, await a five kilometres ground-level cellar and a beautiful modern tasting room.

Champagne Joseph Perrier has been longstanding purveyor to the British Royal Family. ‘In 1889, we received an order from Queen Victoria. She requested Joseph Perrier to be the Champagne of the royal family. As a tribute to the Queen, we named a series of wines Cuvée Royal.’ 

Currently the sixth generation, led by Benjamin Fourmon, is at the helm. Chef de cave Nathalie Laplaige is implementing style adjustments towards. She changed the house signature to a fresh and modern style. Main changes include plot by plot vinification, revision of the liqueur d’expédition and an extended lees aging. Vineyard director Patrick Martin is responsible for the vineyards. Perrier has twenty-four hectares of its own vineyards and uses about eighty hectares of purchased fruit. The majority is in Vallée de la Marne.

Brouzje x Joseph Perrier

Hinke De Jong recalls the realization of the collaboration between Perrier and Brouzje. ‘I had my eye on Joseph Perrier for a while. They have a wide range of elegant cuvées. Their wines are a great addition to our assortment.’ De Jong took a group of sommeliers to Joseph Perrier, not telling them about the upcoming collaboration. ‘They were very excited about the wines.’ Karel V’s sommelier Erik Havenga, who participated in the trip, confirms. Paul Edgar Bredar of Joseph Perrier is proud to seal the collaboration with Brouzje. ‘Today is an important day. We officialized the collaboration and partnership. We are more than happy to start this adventure with Brouzje. It is going to be amazing.’

About the Wines

Brouzje currently distributes nine wines of Joseph Perrier. We share our tasting notes and ratings below. 

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Demi-Sec N.V.

35% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier | 36 months on the lees | Dosage: 38 g/L

The Demi-Sec by Joseph Perrier has a pronounced floral and generous character. The palate is pink fruit dominated. It feels soft and lush, with fluffy fruits and flavours like compote, candied peach and rich cake. The wine is supported by sufficient acidity and has an attractive bitterness in the finish. Cuvée Royale Demi-Sec N.V. is nice discovery for lovers of demi-sec Champagnes, a culinary versatile wine.

DWA-score: 89/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Brut Rosé N.V.

40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier | 36 months on the lees | Dosage: 7 g/L

The Cuvée Royale Brut Rosé shows us flavours of red apple, red currant, melon and chalk. This cuvée stands out in freshness and a refined bitterness that reminds of grapefruit and lemon zest. This non-vintage rosé champagne has an excellent price quality ratio and would be the perfect summer garden meal companion.

DWA-score: 90/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Brut N.V.

35% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Meunier | 36 months on the lees | Dosage: 7 g/L

The bouquet of the non-vintage Cuvée Royale Brut is dominated by ripe yet pure tree- and tropical fruits, also showing a hint of flowers and apple pie. The wine has a broad start, followed by a fine mousse and lively acids. It offers balance between fruit, freshness and bitterness. On paper the dosage might seem rather high, but in our opinion it is well-chosen, well-suited and well-balanced. The Cuvée Royale Brut NV by Joseph Perrier is a fair alternative to the base cuvées of more costly famous Grande Marques.

DWA-score: 91/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Organic N.V.

42% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 21% Pinot Meunier | 36 months on the lees | Dosage: 5 g/L

The bouquet of this organic cultivated non-vintage cuvee is dominated by ripe stone- and tropical fruits like peach, apricot and mango. The wine offers tons of fruit, in a balanced way. We mark roundness, drinking pleasure and an attractive saltiness. We appreciate the Cuvée Royale Organic by its digestibility and friendliness.

DWA-score: 91/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs Brut N.V.

100% Chardonnay | 36 months on the lees | Dosage: 6 g/L

Fresh and herbal, showing flavours of green apple, white peach, lemon, chalk, garden herbs and mint. The palate is soft and gentle, dominated by clean white fruits like white peach and grapefruit. The dosage balances the natural fresh acids. The wine excels in freshness and elegance. Refined fruit bitters and a lean texture lead into long lasting herbal finish. 

DWA-score: 92/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Brut Nature N.V.

62% Chardonnay, 24% Pinot Meunier and 14% Pinot Noir | 5 years on the lees | Dosage: 0 g/L

This non-vintage Brut Nature by Joseph Perrier shows refined autolysis aromas, combined with floral touches and lovely ripe red tree fruits. The fruit dominated attack is rich and solid, providing flavours of red apple and bread dough. The wine is wonderfully lean, fresh and dry. The nuanced yeasty and slightly herbal character provides a wonderful savoury texture. 

DWA-score: 92/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – La Côte à Bras 2015 Brut Nature

100% Pinot Noir | 8 years on the lees | Dosage: 0 g/L

Various shades of fresh and ripe citrus, red and green currant and chalk are setting the scene. The wine starts filling, where lively acids clean the palate. La Côte à Bras 2015 Brut Nature feels clean and linear, showing a lovely gripping texture and beautiful citrus-dominated acidity. A sophisticated fruit bitterness completes the excitement. La Côte à Bras is not your typical Pinot Noir dominated Champagne. Refinement, elegancy and digestively makes us enjoy every sip of it. 

DWA-score: 93/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Cuvée Royale Extra Brut Vintage 2015

55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir | 8 years on the lees | Dosage: 3 g/L

This Chardonnay-dominated vintage Champagne has a beautifully matured and ripe aroma profile. The wine is juicy and round, expressing flavours of honey, nuts and ripe tree fruits. The texture is refined and gripping with a refined nutty bitterness. Beautiful acids bring it to a long finish with complex flavours.

DWA-score: 93/100

Champagne Joseph Perrier – Joséphine 2014

60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir | 8 years on the lees | Dosage: 5 g/L

Joséphine shows off with a complex bouquet. Lush fruit aromas are accompanied by nuanced lees aging aromas. We note bread dough, green and red apple, fine garden herbs and blossom. Joséphine needs time to fully express itself. The wine starts soft and gentle. We note blossom, pickled lemon and green and red apple. The wine feels lean and clean, simultaneously showing a gripping texture, a zesty bitterness and beautiful ripe citrus- and tree fruits. Joséphine 2014 is refined and powerful at the same time. Joséphine 2014 is defined by its wonderful acids and a long salty finish.

DWA-score: 94/100

Conclusion

Joseph Perrier delivers a rock-solid series of champagnes. The overall quality level is impressively consistent. The various cuvées are well thought out and complementary, where the red line is elegance and freshness. Cuvée Royale wines offer value for money and the higher cuvees stand out in diversity a complexity. Just as top cuvée Joséphine promises longevity, evolution and growth, the enthusiasm of Grande Dame Hinke de Jong promises a solid and long-lasting collaboration with Joseph Perrier.

This article was written by our own Hermen Jansen. The wines of Champagne Joseph Perrier are now exclusively available at Brouzje.