Christmas will come early for champagne connoisseurs who aren’t on a budget. Christie’s London is set to auction an 1874 vintage bottle of Perrier-Jouet Brut Millesime that could sell for up to $20,000.
The 147-year-old bottle is an 1874 vintage of Perrier-Jouet Brut Millesime and was made before the Statue of Liberty traveled across the Atlantic from France.
The champagne features Chardonnay grapes from Cramant, one of Perrier-Jouët’s most prestigious vineyards.
Along with the coveted bottle, the winner of the auction along with up to nine others will receive a tasting, tour, a meal prepared by three-star Michelin chef Pierre Gagnaire, and an overnight stay at Maison Belle Epoque, the brand’s Champagne house in France.
“This does not happen very often,” Tim Triptree, the international director of Christie’s wine and spirits department. “There are hardly any bottles of this vintage, maybe a handful, they are just so incredibly rare.”
The winner of the rare champagne can expect to taste vibrant flavors in every sip. “They can be absolutely sublime and extraordinarily complex,” Triptree explained about the quality of the vintage beverage.
“Older Champagne tends to become much more richer, slightly more golden or amber in color and the aromatics intensify to offer a more caramel, some mocha, grilled hazelnuts, or grilled almonds and even a little hint of sherry and Madeira.”
However, since the wine has spent nearly 150 years aging, the champagne may be lacking in the bubbles department. “In terms of the palate, the fizz can sort of reduce quite considerably,” Triptree said.
“Maybe the wine will be a bit flat or there will be just a slight prickle. But it should still have the characteristic vibrant acidity that is associated with Champagne.”
The auction will take place on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3.
(FILES) A file photo taken on May 6, 2019 shows a glass of champagne next to a bottle which label contains a QR code to guarantee its traceability in Epernay, eastern France, at the General Syndicate of Winegrowers of Champagne (SGV).Champagne sales fell of 18% in 2020 as a consequence of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: AFP / FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI
