Moët & Chandon is the House which owns the biggest vineyard in Champagne. Most of its terroirs are classified as crus, grands crus and premiers crus, allowing the production of very high quality wines. The Moët & Chandon name is known across the world ; the House has established its reputation in France but also internationally since its creation.
Moët & Chandon, Champagne’s most famous property
Moët & Chandon was founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, a visionary wine merchant, who quickly made Moet Chandon a reference in the highest courts of Europe. A few years later his grandson, Jean-Rémy Moët, developed the reputation of the house internationally. Notably, Jean-Rémy Moët notably created the iconic cuvée of the house, the Moët and Chandon Imperial, in honour of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who visited the estate on several occasions and who allegedly invented the tradition of bashing open a bottle of Moët Chandon champagne to celebrate a victory with his troops.
The brand has inspired several festive traditions. The German emperor Wilhelm II launched his yacht with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial : hence the tradition was born. Car racing victories are celebrated with Moët and Chandon champagne raining down onto a pyramid of flutes.
Owned by the LVMH group since 1987, the Moet and Chandon Champagne House produces, from a very rigorous selection of Champagne terroirs, unique cuvées recognized across borders for their quality and for their seductive personality.
The jeroboam, a bottle for great occasions
Large-sized bottles represent festivities, abundance and extravagance. The jeroboam of champagne is a symbol of special occasions being celebrated together in large company. The Moët and Chandon jeroboams are served to mark birthdays, anniversaries, sporting victories and success.
How many glasses in a jeroboam?
A jeroboam’s capacity in the Champagne region is 3 litres (l) : it is also sometimes called a double magnum. It is equivalent to 2 magnums of 1.5l and 4 bottles of 0.75cl. One champagne flute contains 12.5cl ; 24 glasses can be served with a jeroboam. This large size will take care of between 12 and 24 guests.
Champagne in a large-sized bottle ages better than in a 75cl bottle
Large capacity bottles allow wines to increase their ageing capacity because they undergo less oxygenation.
Proportionally, there is less air in a large bottle than in a 75cl bottle because the neck size is the same. A 75cl bottle of champagne absorbs the same volume of air as a 3l jeroboam. If the champagne is in contact with less oxygen it oxidises less quickly. Other factors slow the ageing, such as thermal inertia. The differences in temperature damages the wine and makes it age faster, but in a large container, it will take longer to lose or gain degrees, better protecting it.
If a wine in a large-sized bottle changes less quickly, it can longer maintain its organoleptic qualities of early youth : its primary scents (fruit, flowers and plants), wonderful acidity and tannins still very present.
The origin of the jeroboam
The name jeroboam is inspired by two kings of Israel : Jeroboam I and Jeroboam II, who lived in the first century BC. The large-sized bottle was invented by Pierre Mitchell in Bordeaux in 1725. This man, from Ireland, created in the Chartrons area the first glassmaker of the town, which became the "Royal Glassmaker of Bordeaux." It was recognisable thanks to its conical architecture inspired by the Dublin glassmaker.
Two iconic Moët et Chandon champagnes in large-sized bottles
The House of Champagne has put its iconic cuvées in large bottles in dry and semi-dry dosages. The Moët and Chandon rosé cuvées can be found in a magnum. Discover these two jeroboam cuvées :
Moët and Chandon Brut impérial
The cuvée Moët and Chandon Brut impérial has a gourmet blend which contains mostly pinot noir and pinot meunier. The quantity of chardonnay is limited. The grapes used to develop the Moët and Chandon Brut champagne come from an excellent terroir of more than 200 crus. In order to bring out a unique character, 20-30% of reserve wines are added to increase complexity.
Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial
The Ice Impérial cuvée was conceived to be tasted with ice ; it is dosed with 45g of sugar per litre ; in other words, a semi-dry dosage. The blend respects the House style : a majority of red grapes is used. They represent 85%, the rest chardonnay. This wine unveils the balance between an aromatic intensity, a lovely roundness and an acidity which brings a touch of freshness.
Moët and Chandon's large-sized bottles
The jeroboam is one of the most popular bottle sizes for parties, but there are others which it rivals, such as the Moët and Chandon magnum, which contains 1.5l, the Mathusalem (6l), the Salmanazar (9l) and the Nebuchadnezzar (15l). These large sizes are the symbols of pomp, abundance and extravagance. They enhance any party atmosphere.
