Armand De Brignac Champagne, a champagne loved by the stars
Armand de Brignac is the name of a non-vintage Champagne brand produced by Champagne Cattier, and sold in opaque metallic bottles. The brand's first bottling, Armand de Brignac Brut Gold, is identifiable by its distinctive gold bottle with pewter Ace of Spades labels. The brand is owned by New York City-based Sovereign Brands in partnership with Cattier, and was introduced in late 2006.
Armand de Brignac's Champagnes are marketed as flagship cuvées in selected markets. They are produced in a multi-vintage style (like Krug's Grande Cuvée) as opposed to the vintage prestige cuvées of some other Champagne houses (including Louis Roederer's Cristal and Moët et Chandon's Dom Pérignon). Like much Champagne, the Brut Gold cuvée is a blend of the grape varieties Pinot noir, Pinot meunier and Chardonnay, making use of only Premier Cru and Grand Cru-rated grapes. Two other cuvées, a Rosé and a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) were released in 2008.
The original "de Brignac" name was registered by the Cattier family in "the late 1940s or early 50s", according to Jean-Jacques Cattier. It was chosen at that time by his mother, who had been reading a novel featuring a character named de Brignac
Armand de Brignac Brut Gold was reviewed in Wine & Spirits in November, 2008 and December, 2009. In February, 2009, Spanish critic José Peñín published his own review of the Champagne. In November 2009, FINE Champagne Magazine published the results of a blind tasting of 1,000 champagne brands, with Armand de Brignac the top finisher.