Joseph Perrier

History of Champagne Joseph Perrier

The history of Champagne Joseph Perrier begins in 1825, when Joseph Perrier founded his house in Châlons-en-Champagne, then a prosperous Champenois city home to around ten champagne houses and several hectares of vines. A visionary, he acquired buildings with ancient cellars hewn into the hillside, which he rapidly expanded. Committed to his city, Joseph Perrier even served as mayor of Châlons-en-Champagne from 1854 to 1860. His son Émile Armand joined him in 1856 and brought the house to national and international recognition. In the second half of the 19th century, the house conquered Europe and became official supplier to Queen Victoria and then King Edward VII, who bestowed upon it the Royal distinction still featured on the label today.

In the 20th century, the house navigated the decades with panache: its centenary celebrated in 1925, modernisation of production facilities under Georges Pithois, hosting of notable figures such as Joséphine Baker, a partnership with British Airways for the inaugural Concorde flight in 1976, a magnum offered to Prince Charles for his wedding in 1981, and the launch in 1982 of the prestige Cuvée Joséphine as a tribute to the founder's beloved daughter. In 1979, Jean-Claude Fourmon, nephew of Georges Pithois, joined the house and assumed its leadership six years later, strengthening the international renown of Champagne Joseph Perrier. In 2025, the house proudly celebrates two centuries of history with the prestigious Cuvée 200, a living testament to six generations of passion and expertise.

Terroirs and Vines of Champagne Joseph Perrier

The vineyard of Champagne Joseph Perrier extends over twenty-one hectares ideally situated on hillside slopes, principally on the right bank of the Vallée de la Marne, around the villages of Hautvillers and Cumières, classified at 93% respectively on the cru scale. These premier terroirs, with south and south-east exposures, benefit from optimal sunshine and rich clay-limestone soils that lend power, vinosity and aromatic finesse to the grapes. Pinot Noir reigns supreme here, complemented by Meunier, the traditional grape variety of the Vallée de la Marne, and by two hectares of Chardonnay, the guarantor of elegance.

Beyond its own plots, the house also sources from renowned villages of Champagne such as Ambonnay and Sacy in the Montagne de Reims, Bergères-lès-Vertus, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs, and Verneuil in the Vallée de la Marne, selected for the complementary nature of their expressions. The cultivation of the vineyard is conducted in a reasoned manner, with the utmost respect for terroir and biodiversity, following a progressive approach towards an ever more environmentally responsible viticulture. Harvesting is carried out by hand, allowing for rigorous sorting of the bunches and the perfect preservation of the grapes' aromatic purity.

Vinification at Champagne Joseph Perrier

At the winery, Champagne Joseph Perrier combines Champenois tradition with contemporary standards of excellence. Following gentle pressing of the grapes, the heart-of-the-press juices are vinified separately by cru and by grape variety, primarily in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and, for certain special cuvées, in oak barrels. Alcoholic fermentation is followed by malolactic fermentation, lending the still wines their characteristic roundness and depth. The cellar master ensures the subtle balance of the blends, incorporating a significant proportion of reserve wines in order to maintain the consistency and signature style of the house.

After bottling and second fermentation according to the traditional méthode champenoise, the bottles rest in the house's exceptional Gallo-Roman cellars. These five kilometres of ground-level galleries, hewn from chalk as early as the 4th century and housing three million bottles, offer unique ageing conditions with naturally stable temperature and humidity, lit by 89 light wells. The cuvées rest there for a minimum of three to five years, and far beyond for vintages and prestige cuvées, ensuring aromatic complexity, fine bubbles and incomparable harmony. The dosage, measured and precise, finalises each cuvée in keeping with the Joseph Perrier style.

The cuvées of Champagne Joseph Perrier

Cuvée Royale Brut: the house's iconic signature, instantly recognisable by its famous yellow label, this cuvée embodies the quintessence of the Joseph Perrier style. A harmonious blend of the three Champenois grape varieties dosed at around 7 g/l, it captivates with its length, freshness, balance and elegance, ideal as an aperitif or at the table alongside refined dishes.

Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs: a pure Chardonnay sourced from the house's finest plots and the Côte des Blancs, this cuvée stands out for its crystalline finesse, chalky minerality and delicate bouquet of white flowers, citrus and fresh almond, delivering a champagne of elegance and precision.

Cuvée Royale Rosé: crafted from a blend of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay with the addition of a house Champenois red wine, this luminous cuvée offers an indulgent nose of fresh red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant) and a fruity, vinous and lingering palate, perfect alongside red fruit desserts or a salmon carpaccio.

Cuvée Royale Demi-Sec: a more generously dosed version of the Brut, this full-bodied and expressive Champagne unfolds a nose of candied fruit, honey and pastry, with a round and silky palate. An ideal companion to desserts, foie gras and aged cheeses, it brings a delightfully indulgent finish to an exceptional meal.

Cuvée Royale Brut Nature: a pure expression of Joseph Perrier's terroir, this champagne with no added sugar is a blend of almost equal parts Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, aged 72 months in the cellar. Its purity, exceptional freshness and mineral tension make it a gastronomic champagne particularly appreciated by extra-brut enthusiasts.

Cuvée Royale Millésime 2018: a great vintage cuvée born of a sunny and well-balanced year, this vintage blends Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the finest plots. Aged at length on lees and dosed at around 5 g/l, it displays rich substance, aromas of ripe fruit, praline, brioche and toasted bread, underpinned by a chiselled acidity of great length.

La Côte à Bras: an exceptional single-vineyard cuvée, this 100% Pinot Noir Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature is sourced from a unique plot located in Cumières, in the Vallée de la Marne. Extended ageing, late disgorgement, zero dosage — this vinous, dense and deeply mineral Champagne expresses the full singularity of a place and the nobility of Champenois Pinot Noir.

Le Ciergelot 2020: a new single-vineyard cuvée from the house, crafted 100% from Meunier sourced from plot ZD214 of the lieu-dit Le Ciergelot in Verneuil, in the Vallée de la Marne. Disgorged as Brut Nature in July 2024, with a pale robe and copper highlights, an elegant floral and fruity nose, and a fresh, energetic palate, it pays tribute to the rediscovered finesse of the Meunier grape variety.

Cuvée Joséphine 2014: the crowning jewel of the house and its flagship cuvée since 1982, this prestige cuvée is a vibrant tribute to Stéphanie Joséphine, beloved daughter of Joseph Perrier. A blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir sourced from the finest plots of Ambonnay, Cumières, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Sacy and Bergères-lès-Vertus, it displays remarkable aromatic complexity, with notes of pastry, ripe fruit, white flowers and a palate of rare elegance. Presented in a hand-painted bottle decorated with fine gold, it embodies the pinnacle of Joseph Perrier's expertise.

Cuvée 200: a commemorative cuvée created to celebrate two centuries of the house's history in 2025, this vintage Champagne is crafted from the exceptional 2015 harvest. A limited and numbered edition, the result of a carefully crafted blend designed to capture the essence of the family heritage, it brings together power, finesse and aromatic depth for an extraordinary tasting experience worthy of this historic anniversary.