Moët & Chandon is celebrating its 280th anniversary with the launch of a new cuvée, the first release to be unveiled from the Collection Impériale line. To herald this latest bubbly, artist Daniel Arsham has created a sculpture to be displayed in the French Champagne House’s Imperiale cellars as well as a limited number of special edition bottles – all in his unique style.
The new Collection Impériale Création No. 1, created from seven vintages and aged through a variety of different processes, will be available starting December 1st. This champagne is made from an assemblage of remarkable vintages, aged through different maturation processes in oak casks and on the lees, in bottles. It has a deep yellow hue and is complex to the taste, offering notes of licorice root and mocha as well as vanilla and dried fig.
To commemorate the anniversary, the house enlisted artist Daniel Arsham to design a large art piece to be displayed in Galerie Impériale, in the cellars of Moët & Chandon. The piece is supposedly inspired by the estate’s art nouveau intricate stained glass by Félix Gaudin and combines modernity with heritage.
The launch dinner for the champagne, a cocktail party at twilight in the manicured gardens of the Hôtel de Bourrienne, can be seen below; an intimate, seated banquet in a sumptuous, candle-lit salon filled with Arsham’s bottle art.
Daniel’s unique take on Moët & Chandon’s heritage beautifully captures the essence of our history and our craft. A consummate artist of our time, Daniel approached his work in much the same way that we have approached the crafting of Collection Impériale Création No. 1: as an artistic endeavour made today, shaped by traditions of the past, but intended to go on well into the future.’ – Benoît Gouez, Cellar Master at Moët & Chandon
In addition to the wall-mounted piece displayed in the cellars of Moet & Chandon, Arsham has designed 85 limited-edition bottles in his inimitable style of eroded white statuary, creating a piece of art which plays on notions of time and permanence.
The new cuvée will be available in the UK from 1 December at Harrods at RRP of £205 (75cl bottle). The Daniel Arsham limited edition will be available to purchase at £23,000 per piece in the UK in April 2024. However, readers can pre-register interest in reserving a piece by contacting Moët & Chandon Private Sales team at avachher@moethennessy.com
images and information courtesy of LVMH, Moet and Daniel Arsham