Walk down the picturesque Avenue de Champagne in Epernay, flanked by the grand maisons belonging to some of the industry's most esteemed names, and it's hard to comprehend the treasures that lie beneath your feet. Below ground a vast network of chalk cellars hold within them millions of bottles of the finest champagnes, some concealed within their depths for decades or longer.
Among the esteemed residents is Perrier-Jouet, which has called its current address on the avenue – the stately Maison Belle Epoque – home since 1850 when the mansion was acquired by Eugene Gallice, brother-in-law of Charles Perrier, the son of founders Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose-Adelaide Jouet. A member of the French Art History Society, Gallice passed down his love of the creative to his sons Octave and Henri. The latter formed his own passion for Art Nouveau, which left an indelible mark on the company when he instructed artist Emile Galle in 1902 to envisage a design for four magnums. The resulting motif, featuring a delicate spray of white Japanese anemones, continues to adorn bottles of Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque to this day.
Throughout the subsequent decades, the house itself became just as much of a tribute to the artistic period and now hosts the largest private collection of Art Nouveau in Europe. Following a landmark restoration project, Perrier-Jouet has reopened its doors, inviting guests to not only experience its champagne within its spiritual home, but stay in the house surrounded by works of art.
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"It's been two years of a tremendous project, bringing back to life and renovating this amazing collection," said Perrier-Jouet's style director, Axelle de Buffevent. "We have over 200 pieces of French heritage Art Nouveau. If you want to sit on a chair, you're welcome to – it's a true house."
Wandering around the rooms you're never far from pieces of note. Behind pear wood doors, created by Hector Guimard, lies the petit salon, where you'll happen upon a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin decorating the mantelpiece, the sole non-Art Nouveau work in the collection. Elsewhere, furniture by Louis-Ernest Barrias and Raoul Larche and paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec typify the style of the era.
But far from just safeguarding the past, the project has seen a number of new additions to the house. "The key thing for us was to bring back the collection to its beauty and propel it into the 21st century," explains de Buffevent. "We need to make sure we don't only look back, but towards the future. So we are building a legacy for future generations by commissioning art pieces from contemporary designers."
These include All'ombra della luce by Japanese artist Ritsue Mishima; taking its cues from the bubbles in champagne, disks of Murano glass hang from the ceiling of the bar, scattering light around the room. Meanwhile, continuing the natural motifs that inspired Art Nouveau, a kinetic table by Mischer'Traxler sees leaves and plants grow and move, reacting to the movements of those around it.
"The very strong link we have with Art Nouveau goes back to our founders, who were art and nature lovers. Pierre-Nicolas was a very famous botanist of his time, and champagne all starts with the grape. If nature doesn't bring it to life, there's no champagne," said de Buffevent. "And that passion kept on going, that collection was built, and now we are taking it into the 21st century, making sure we bring to life nature, art and wine together."
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