Armand de Brignac

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Armand de Brignac is the name of a 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.^[1][2]

The Armand de Brignac Brut Gold composition is 33% each of Champagne's grape varietals (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier). The Champagne's production and wine selection is overseen by Champagne Cattier.^[3]

Armand de Brignac bottlings are marketed as flagship cuvées in selected markets. To date, they are produced in a multi-vintage style (a la Krug's Grande Cuvee^[4]) as opposed to the vintage flagship bottlings of many larger Champagne estates (Louis Roederer's Cristal, LVMH's Dom Perignon^[5][6]). A Rosé is also produced, and a Blanc de Blancs appears scheduled for later release.^[7]

The original de Brignac name was registered by the Cattier family (who produces the Champagne) 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.^[8] In naming the new Champagne, Cattier states those involved "came up with Armand, it sounded kind of noble."^[9]

Contents 1 Reaction 2 Other References in Hip Hop 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Reaction

A music video appearance (in Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got" Video) prior to the launch of the Armand de Brignac brand sparked a flurry of discussion on sites covering hip-hop and popular culture.^[10][11][12]

It is not widely understood why the product appeared in the video.^[13] Brett Berish, president of American importer Sovereign Brands, denied the product had been placed, stating that while Jay-Z had no official involvement, he “... is exactly who we would have liked as a partner on this. Everyone already identifies him with luxury brands, and given his boycotting Cristal earlier, it works extremely well ... but it’s not like we just cooked this brand up to capitalize on that.”^[14][15] The Wall Street Journal, however, quotes Jean-Jacques Cattier as saying his U.S. partners told him that they "had connections in the rap world" that would help launch the product in the U.S. .^[16]

One item discussed, an October 2006 Sovereign Brands press release, stated that "The brand is making its North American debut this year, after enjoying success as a premium, high-end brand in France," and Cattier has confirmed that the Armand name is a recent creation.^[17][18][19]Marketing from Sovereign Brands has been ambiguous, claiming "Cattier’s gold bottle also made an appearance at Queen Elizabeth II of England's Golden Jubilee celebration" without explicitly identifying the bottling in question as Armand de Brignac.^[20].

In December 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that bottles of Armand de Brignac had "turned up in Academy Award nominee gift bags."^[21]

[edit] Other References in Hip Hop

A bottle of Armand de Brignac also makes cameo appearances in the videos for Fabolous's songs Make Me Better and Baby Don't Go, although the brand is not mentioned in either of the songs' lyrics. Another '07 video, Beanie Sigel's "All the Above (feat. R. Kelly)" also includes "Ace of Spades" in the video and lyrics.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• ProHipHop Discussion of Armand De Brignac
• BusinessWeek report about the origin of this brand