Evolution of Premium Packaging

THIS September, Perrier-Jou?t will release its latest creation to worldwide markets after unveiling in Tokyo in July. The highlight is the Belle Epoque Florale Edition with a newly designed bottle and carton that feature the work of artist Makoto Azuma. It is the first designed Limited Edition of cuvée Belle Epoque since the work of Emile Gallé, the French glass designer who crafted the first bottle with white anemones in 1902.

Gallé chose white Japanese anemones because of his passion for botany and his admiration for Japanese art that draws inspiration from the primal force of nature—the true spirit of the Art Nouveau movement. His work emphasized delicate organic lines and forms, and overlapping stems and leaves which have become the emblem of Belle Epoque cuvée and by extension, the iconic image of Perrier-Jou?t, a champagne house recognized worldwide for its link to the art world. It was Henri Gallice, the head of Perrier- Jou?t in 1877 who at the time associated with painters, sculptors, and artists who were active in the renewal of decorative arts, who commissioned Gallé.

This artistic philosophy has been carried on by Perrier-Jou?t to this day. The Maison Belle Epoque—the historic home of the Perriers—is a testament to the family's love of art. Whilst it has now become a guesthouse for Perrier-Jou?t visitors, it is also a living museum for some 200 pieces, including furniture by Art Nouveau artists such as Lalique, Majorelle, Daum and Guimard.

Commissioning the Japanese floral art genius came as a natural choice for Perrier-Jou?t, as Gallé was originally inspired by Japanese art culture. Lionel Breton, chairman and CEO of Martell Mumm Perrier-Jou?t says, "Makoto Azuma and Perrier-Jou?t share the same values of tradition, passion for nature, and genuine originality and we are delighted to have found in him the Emile Gallé of modern times through his unique creation."

'Sensation of Champagne'
One hundred years later, Makoto Azuma challenges the aesthetic boundaries, and creates a unique combined artwork made of a single delicate botanical arabesque dotted with white Japanese anemones on the Belle Epoque Florale Edition bottle. "I wanted to make something extraordinary, taking inspiration from the sensation of champagne inside the mouth, and the delicate movement of the ivy and leaves with a special attention and tribute given to Emile Gallé's anemones," says Makoto.

For inspiration, he surrounded his serene studio with white flowers and Japanese greenery to create a world in the colours of Perrier Jou?t. Since a champagne flute envelopes a bouquet of scents, Makoto created a three-dimensional frame in which he suspended flowers.

"This frame expresses a contemporary vision of beauty; it presents Emile Gallé's anemones in the present day," Makoto explains. With patience, he would adjust and realign the twist of a tendril, the line of a leaf, and the tilt of a petal until the final work has reached the desired look. This look—in white, green and yellow—appears on the white box of the limited edition of Belle Epoque cuvée. On the bottle, the design is reinterpreted in white and gold.

Perfect Expression of Elegance
In a way, Makoto's artwork is a reverential homage to Gallé's 1902 design. It is further reinforced with a handcrafted motif of golden flowers on the bottle of Belle Epoque 2004 vintage which according to Perrier-Jou?t's cellar master Hervé Deschamps is the perfect expression of an exceptional year for champagne.

After ageing for six years, this vintage now expresses the elegant, floral, diamond-cut style of the brand, and the best C?te des Blanc's chardonnays. Stylish and silky, this vintage has an exceptionally long finish and a taste that hints at flowers and white fruit before evolving into slightly spicy notes of fresh marzipan.

Deschamps is only the seventh cellar master in Perrier-Jou?t's 200-year hisAir Max 95 Stussy