Armand de Brignac - Ace of Spades Brut Gold Champagne (Wooden Box) NV
Price: $349.99
| Producer | Armand de Brignac |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Varietal | Champagne |
| Sku | 0813497005256 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Armand de Brignac Description
The first release from Champagne Armand de Brignac, the Brut Gold remains the most iconic cuvée in the range. Rich with the old-world tradition of champagne blending, it is a trio of vintages from some of the most lauded terroirs of the region, resulting in a cuvée expressing vibrant and fresh fruit character with a soft texture.
- TASTING NOTE: Peach, apricot, red berry aromas, followed by crystalized citrus, orange blossom and hints of brioche. Palate is rich with exotic fruit, cherry and a touch of lemon, vanilla and honey.
- VARIETAL COMPOSITION: 40% Pinot Noir / 40% Chardonnay / 20% Pinot Meunier
- TRIO OF VINTAGES: 2009, 2010 & 2012
- DOSAGE: 9.5g/L
- CELLARING POTENTIAL: Delicious to drink now, however for those with the patience and a passion for champagnes with more developed character, this cuvée could further cellar beyond 2025.
- FOOD PAIRING: Ideal as an aperitif or pairs perfectly with seared scallops, roasted quail and freshwater fish.
Decanter Magazine: 95 Points
"This is a three-way assemblage: three grape varieties – and equal percentage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 20% of Pinot Meunier – and a blend of 3 vintages, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The nose is full of flavours and rich with notes of white flowers and crème patissière. However, the palate is crisp, fresh and delicate with a lovely creamy texture. It is elegant, refined and very stylish (unlike the bottle!). It’s a pleasant combination of power and concentration blended with finesse and elegance. While the dosage is 9g/l, it feels much drier, more like a 5g/l and this probably due to the spinal cord of acidity."
Wine & Spirits Magazine: 94 Points
"The refinement of the bubbles and impeccable pale color brought James Bond to mind for one taster, "the new Bond, the blond Bond." The comment generated a flurry of critical reviews from the panelists: "This is more Timothy Dalton: polished, looks good, but doesn't have a lot to say." "This is more like Gregory Peck: It has nothing to prove." "Burt Lancaster in A Wild Thing." "Clooney on ER before he got polished..." This is a bold and powerful wine that holds its balance. Driven by scents of brioche and chalk, along with intense acidity, it should develop well with several years of bottle age."
Tasting Panel: 93 Points
"Smooth and elegant with lovely balance; complex and fresh with round, rich flavors and great finesse; long and refined. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier."
Wine Advocate: 93 Points
Tasted from magnum (the 750-milliliter bottle costs $285), the NV Brut (Gold) opens with lovely matured brioche, toast and ripe fruit flavors. Fresh, pure and elegant on the palate, with beautifully matured flavors and an elegant creaminess I don't find in the other cuvées, the "Gold" is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier as well as the vintages of 2009, 2010 and 2012. The wine reveals good grip and mineral tension and drinks well as an aperitif or with seafood and fish. Tasted from L09B8, April 2018.
Since November 2014, Armand de Brignac has been the Champagne brand of rapper and music producer JAY-Z. The five non-vintage cuvées, which are sold in opaque metallic bottles and at absolutely crazy prices, are produced by father and son Jean-Jacques and Alexandre Cattier from Champagne Cattier who started releasing de Brignac in 2006. The fruit—Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay—comes from vineyards owned by the Cattier family and from growers in selected villages across the region. For Armand de Brignac, colloquially known as "Ace of Spades," only the tête de cuvée of the press is used, so the very finest part. Each cuvée assembles three vintages and is dosed with matured wines aged in oak barrels. Aged for several years on the second lees, the wines are intense, powerful, well-structured and of excellent quality. The brand's first bottling, Armand de Brignac Brut Gold, is still the finest cuvée due to its richness and ripeness. The Blanc de Blancs, released in 2015 for the first time, is also a highly expressive NV with a chalky-mineral character that needs more time in the bottle to show its true class. The second assemblage of the prestigious Blanc de Noir, a rare Pinot Noir (2,333 bottles), was rather disappointing when tasted in April but will be tasted again soon.
Wine Spectator: 92 Points
Wine Enthusiast: 91 Points
"A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, this ripe, well-balanced wine has some toast that adds complexity and richness to the apple and lemon fruit, indicating a mature bottling. The wine in a gold-foil bottle is one of five made by the Cattier house for rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z's Armand de Brignac Empire brand with the “Ace of Spades” logo."
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