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Vintage 2006: 2006 was a good year in Champagne, close to perfection. A heat wave in July was followed by cooler temperatures just before the first grapes arrived in August. This allowed the grapes to rest before the Indian summer brought them to ideal ripeness. During the harvest, the Chardonnay from the Bouron Leroi and Bouron du Midi plots achieved the ideal balance between sugar, acidity and purity of floral aromas. The conditions were particularly favourable for Chardonnay. Ripe bunches, with a beautiful aromatic richness and vinosity, allowed us to produce a wine of exceptional finesse and generosity. Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs is a 100% Chardonnay cuvée, made only from two small parcels of the House vineyard – Bouron Leroi and Bouron du Midi – located in Cramant, one of the most renowned villages of the prestigious Côte des Blancs and classified as Grand Cru. These two renowned parcels covering only 6.8 hectares were the first to be acquired by Perrier-Jouët in the mid-19th century. At that time, Charles Perrier, the son of the founders, drew on his solid knowledge of viticulture and his expertise in the terroirs of the Champagne region to identify their potential to maximise the yield of the best Chardonnays. Indeed, Bouron Leroi and Bouron du Midi bring together the criteria necessary to reveal the unique floral character of Chardonnay. Situated in the middle of a gentle slope facing south-east, these plots benefit from an ideal exposure to the first rays of sunshine and their limestone soils maintain a constant level of humidity throughout the year. The small size of these prestigious plots and Perrier-Jouët’s meticulous approach to viticulture limit the number of grapes produced each year to a small quantity. A vintage is only created in years when conditions are close to perfection. Thus, no vintage of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs exceeds 40,000 bottles.