Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne 750ml with Lacquered Wooden Gift Box

If the gold bottle is the signature, the pink one is the party, and the silver one is the quiet flex, the black one is the insider’s bottle. The Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage No. 4 is the most exclusive Ace of Spades: dark, polished, and presented in a lacquered wooden gift box, with a pewter ace and a number. Only 7,328 bottles exist, and each is inscribed with its own number (1 to 7,328) and its disgorgement date, which makes it as much a collectible as a Champagne. When it comes out of the box, the people who know will know. It’s the one for private dinners, collectors’ tables, anniversaries, and the gift that says you went past the obvious choice.

It’s the rarest cuvée in the house, released in small, numbered batches, each a new “assemblage” with its own blend of vintages. This one brings together 2013, 2014, and 2015, rested seven years in the cellars until it was disgorged on April 20, 2023. The bottle is finished the way every Ace of Spades is: coated in metal, then polished and fitted with its French pewter label by hand, and housed in the signature lacquered wooden box.

The wine is a different animal from the rest of the range. It’s 100% Pinot Noir from Premier and Grand Cru villages including Chigny-les-Roses, Verzenay, Rilly-la-Montagne, Verzy, Ludes, and Mailly Champagne, plus Ville-sur-Arce in the Aube, and it uses only the first portion of the cuvée press, which gives the freshest fruit and the highest acidity and the structure to age. The nose is “intense and mineral, with hints of blackberry, fig and plum,” opening “luminously” with “maraschino cherry, comfit strawberry and orange blossom.” The palate is “gourmet, elegant and lively,” with “lingering notes of licorice, honey and nutmeg,” “elegant freshness and extraordinary length.” The Tasting Panel’s Ruth Tobias described “the purest form of integration between stunningly beautiful acidity and warm toastiness after seven years in the cellars, at once sumptuous and lilting.” Wine Enthusiast noted that, with seven years of bottle age, “this Champagne has softened and filled out,” with “richness and a generous character.” An earlier assemblage of this cuvée was named #1 Blanc de Noirs in the World for 2016 by FINE Champagne.

It’s a Champagne with real weight, built for the table: roasted duck, pan-seared trout, grilled lamb, truffle dishes, and aged cheeses.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage No. 4 is produced by the Cattier family in Champagne, France, led by Jean-Jacques and Alexandre Cattier. It is 100% Pinot Noir from Premier and Grand Cru villages (Chigny-les-Roses, Verzenay, Rilly-la-Montagne, Verzy, Ludes, Mailly Champagne, and Ville-sur-Arce in the Aube), made from only the first portion of the cuvée press, blended from the 2013, 2014, and 2015 vintages, and aged seven years in the cellars before disgorgement on April 20, 2023. Each of the 7,328 bottles is individually numbered and inscribed with its disgorgement date. Each metal-clad bottle is finished and polished by hand, fitted with a French pewter label, and presented in a lacquered wooden gift box. 8 g/L dosage, 12.5% ABV, 750ml.

Critics Reviews

The rarest bottle in the house, and the one connoisseurs ask about.

The Tasting Panel (Ruth Tobias, Editor-in-Chief):
“Achieving the purest form of integration between stunningly beautiful acidity and warm toastiness after seven years in the cellars, it’s at once sumptuous and lilting.”

Wine Enthusiast:
“With seven years bottle age, this Champagne has softened and filled out. From vineyards on the north side of the Montagne de Reims and some fruit from the Aube, the wine has richness and a generous character. In its bottle with Ace of Spades embossed on it, the wine is just right and is ready to drink.”

Award: An earlier assemblage (A1) was named #1 Blanc de Noirs in the World for 2016 by FINE Champagne.

Armand de Brignac (official tasting notes):
“Intense and mineral on the nose, with hints of blackberry, fig and plum. The wine opens up luminously, complemented with elegant touches of maraschino cherry, comfit strawberry and orange blossom. On the palate, this wine is gourmet, elegant and lively. The lingering notes of licorice, honey and nutmeg create a complex wine with elegant freshness and extraordinary length.”

Retailer description:
“Rich and layered, with intense notes of ripe fruit such as black cherries, plums and blackberries, perfectly harmonised with hints of sweet spices and light toasted hints. Its texture is silky and enveloping, and the extraordinary length of the finish leaves an indelible impression.”

Tasting Profile

Nose
Intense and mineral. Blackberry, fig, and plum, with maraschino cherry, comfit strawberry, and orange blossom.

Palate
Gourmet, elegant, and lively, with black cherry, plum, and blackberry, sweet spice, and light toast, with a silky texture and beautiful acidity.

Finish
Extraordinarily long, with licorice, honey, nutmeg, and a mineral lift.

Quick Overview

Make the Moment

• The reveal: Present it in its lacquered wooden box and show the number on the bottle: it’s a conversation piece before it’s opened.
• The pour: Serve well chilled, at about 8-10°C, in tulip-shaped glasses or white wine glasses to let the dark fruit and spice open up.
• The table: Pair it with roasted duck, pan-seared trout, grilled lamb, or truffle dishes.
• The gift: For the person who collects, the anniversary or milestone that deserves the rarest bottle in the range.

Food Pairings

• Roasted duck and duck confit
• Pan-seared trout and wild salmon
• Lightly grilled lamb
• Truffle dishes and aged cheeses

Serving Note

Serve well chilled, at about 8-10°C, in tulip-shaped Champagne glasses or white wine glasses.