On Monday, June 5th, Vranken Pommery hosted a special tasting event at the French Institute Alliance Française, led by Pommery cellar master Clément Pierlot.
It was Pierlot’s debut event in New York and acted as much as an exploration of the past and future as it did a vertical tasting of Pommery champagne.
The program began with a deep dive into the history of Champagne Pommery— beginning with Madame Pommery’s creation of the first brut (dry) champagne in 1874. Clément closely described the milestones on the journey from a single estate in France to a worldwide name.
Founded in 1836 by Alexandre-Louis Pommery, the champagne house was famously continued by his wife, Jeanne Alexandrine Louis, who is credited with taking the Pommery name into the future. The brand is now present in over 130 countries and hosts over 130,000 visitors every single year at its estate in Reims, France.
The cuvées featured at Monday’s event were an extraordinary representation of the brand collection. Pierlot began with an introduction of Louis Pommery Reserve, the latest project from California, which combines the know-how of the French team with the best terroir in the state. The grapes are carefully selected and the exception winemaking
expertise is guaranteed by Pierlot, using their revolutionary method of yeast encapsulation, which yields wines that are uniquely sediment-free.
Following Louis Pommery, Clement introduced the brand’s flagship, Brut Royal, and then the Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru ‘09, and concluded with Cuvée Louise 2005—a representation of absolute purity, made with 65% chardonnay grapes and only produced in limited quantities with three Grands Crus: Avize, Aÿ, and Cramant, considered the jewels in the crown of the Champagne region of France.
At the conclusion of the event, each guest was given a Pommery POP and a new illustrated guide to Experience Pommery, the current art exhibit at the Domaine.