Jay-Z Just Released a New Champagne With a Very Steep Price Tag

The latest Blanc de Noirs expression from Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac costs $1,200 (Photo: Armand de Brignac)

Armand de Brignac Champagne, the brand owned by Jay-Z and Moët Hennessy, announced the release of Blanc de Noirs Assemblage Number Four on Thursday. The champagne is composed of three vintages: a 2013, 2014 and 2015. It will launch in 2024 and hosts a suggested retail price of £1,055 ($1,282).

Just 7,328 bottles of Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage No. 4 are available around the world, and each bottle features its own number and the disgorgement date. According to The Drinks Business, the blend is meant to show the evolution of Armand de Brignac’s Blanc de Noirs, Assemblage No. 1, which was made in 2015.

Per the brand, the fruit is sourced from superior Premier and Grand Cru Pinot Noir-producing villages. VinePair claims that the fruit for the label is grown by Champagne Cattier, and that each bottle is handled by over 10 team members before it is released into the world. The brand claims the fruit is handpicked from the Cattier family’s 30-plus hectares of vines.

The Blanc de Noirs is composed exclusively of Pinot Noir, and is available for purchase at specialized retailers around the world for the suggested retail price of a whopping $1,200.

Stylistically, Blanc de Noirs Champagnes tend to be less creamy then their Blanc de Blanc counterparts, which are composed exclusively of Chardonnay. Blanc de Noirs are often described as having darker fruit qualities, more of a mineral-driven flavor profile and layers of complexity, adding to their appeal, according to Decanter.

Perhaps the minds behind Armand de Brignac Champagne were aware of the “prestige factor,” with Blanc de Noir Champagne, hence the whopper of a price tag. Yet, $1,200 seems a bit steep for a multi-vintage champagne.

Single Vintage vs. Multi-Vintage Champagnes — a Cost Breakdown

According to Wine Enthusiast, Champagne can be broken down into three tiers, as far as pricing goes. Nonvintage Champagne is typically the cheapest, because it incorporates several harvest years. Nonvintages are often prized for their consistency and affordability, as the practice of blending multiple years can camoflauge a particularly difficult growing year in Champagne. This is why most Nonvintage Champagnes are on the most “affordable” end of the cost spectrum.

Multi-vintage champagnes, like Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs, feature champagne offerings from specific vintages.

Like Nonvintage Champagne, these wines are not regulated by the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée legislation, meaning the Champagne blender has greater flexibility than if they were producing a single vintage champagne. These blends typically feature years the producer views as “outstanding,” according to Wine Enthusiast — but that is not always the case. “Outstanding” is a subjective word depending on where the fruit is sourced from, who is farming it and how it is being farmed.

Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage Number Four features champagnes made in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

This particular multi-vintage does have blended champagnes from two “outstanding” years: 2014 and 2015. Robert Parker cites the 2014 vintage as “outstanding,” with “early maturing and accessible” wines. 2015 was cited by Jancis Robinson as a “uniquely Pinot year,” which proves to be an additional plus for this expression of the multi-vintage Blanc de Noirs.

Yet here’s the kicker —Antonio Galloni’s Vinous cites the 2013 vintage as “extremely challenging” throughout France. Though Galloni claims the Chardonnay’s are “drop-dead gorgeous,” this particular wine is composed exclusively of Pinot Noir.

Single vintage champagnes typically host the highest price point, as they are made during the best years at the vineyard.  These are often the most difficult to make, in that they are entirely transparent reflections of the single year at the vineyard. According to VinePair, they must be aged for three years minimum in the bottle, unlike some nonvintage expressions, which have a minimum of 15 months. Aging is expensive, as time is money — especially time in barrel.

Though Champagne is typically fairly costly, there are a plethora of more “reasonably-priced” offerings – some of which include single vintages – from lesser-known brands and smaller growers who have control over their vines and practice organic and biodynamic farming practices, like Champagne Thomas Perceval and Champagne David Léclapart.

Because these brands don’t have that “name recognition,” it often serves to the buyer’s advantage, and some offerings from these producers are under $100.

For all we know, the Armand de Brignac Champagne may taste great, but a $1,200 price tag is a big ask for anyone — especially for a multi-vintage champagne.

Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here!