Rap star and entrepreneur Jay-Z has sold a 50% stake in his luxury Champagne brand, Armand de Brignac, to LVMH’s wine and spirits arm Moët Hennessy for an undisclosed sum.
‘We are confident that the sheer power of the Moët Hennessy global distribution framework, its unparalleled portfolio strength and its long-established track record of excellence in developing luxury brands will give Armand de Brignac the commercial power it needs to grow and flourish even further.’
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, said he was ‘proud’ to announce the joint venture with Moët Hennessy, adding: ‘It is a partnership that has felt familiar the entire time.’
The name Armand de Brignac
In the 1950s, Nelly Cattier, mother to Jean-Jacques, discovered a character in a novel she was reading, called ‘M. De Brignac’. She found the name noble and registered it for use on a new wine in the future. It was long forgotten, and during the creation of this new tête de cuvée from the house in the early 2000s, Jean-Jacques decided to pay tribute to his mother by adopting this special name.
The bottle design
Each bottle of Armand de Brignac is coated in metal, finished with the hand application of French pewter labels and polished. Only 20 bottles can be completed per person per hour in the winery, and as a result, no two bottles are the same.
Armand de Brignac has the most extensive collection of large format bottles of any prestige champagne house, from its 1.5L magnum to the highly rare, and made only by special order, 30L Midas.
