The Champagne - Pinot Noir, Pure and Poured

Every so often, a release arrives that feels destined to define a season. This year, it comes from the vaulted cellars of Champagne in the form of Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage No. 5 — a cuvée that balances rarity, craftsmanship, and spectacle in equal measure.

Assemblage No. 5 is the fifth edition in the house’s coveted Blanc de Noirs series, each treated like a numbered chapter in a collector’s library. Only 8,165 bottles exist worldwide, and each carries its disgorgement date — August 21, 2024 — engraved right onto the label. For those who follow Champagne closely, this detail is no small thing: it signals both transparency and a level of precision usually reserved for oenophiles and insiders. Presented in Armand de Brignac’s signature metallic pewter bottle, finished by hand with polished French pewter labels, and delivered in a glossy black lacquered case, it arrives as much an objet d’art as it does a Champagne.

The blend is 100% Pinot Noir, drawn exclusively from some of Champagne’s most prized terroirs, including villages in the Montagne de Reims like Verzenay, Verzy, and Chigny-les-Roses. Where most Champagnes rely on blends of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir, this cuvée leans entirely on the grape that lends Champagne its backbone, its spice, and its sultry depth. The result is a wine of striking intensity: notes of dark cherry, dried fig, and hints of truffle layered with brioche and spice, all lifted by a fresh herbal edge.

The house of Armand de Brignac, launched in 2006 and propelled to global fame when acquired by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter in 2014 (and later partnered with LVMH’s Moët Hennessy), has always thrived on rarity and glamour. Its first Blanc de Noirs release, Assemblage No. 1, debuted in 2015, and each successive bottling has disappeared quickly into private cellars and high-end wine lists.

Of course, such scarcity comes at a price: $1,000+ per 750ml bottle, with magnums and larger formats even rarer. But this is not Champagne for excess; it is Champagne for ceremony. Poured into tall crystal flutes alongside oysters, caviar, or a decadent truffle risotto, Assemblage No. 5 transforms from a drink into an experience, one that lingers long after the final toast.