Celebrity Champagnes

After starring in movies and releasing number one singles, celebrities receive some very big paychecks, and instead of letting their money sit still and gather dust, they decide to invest it, with some famous celebs buying Champagne houses or releasing their own Champagne labels.

So let’s explore some of the Champagnes that are completely or partially owned by some of the world’s most famous and your favourite celebrities.

Brad Pitt + Champagne Fleur de Miraval

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie purchased Château Miraval in 2008 for $28.4 million, at first, the winery produced still rosé wine, but through new partnerships, in 2020 Brad Pitt would release Champagne Fleur de Miraval ER1

Angelina decided to sell her share of the company in 2021 to Tenute del Mondo for an undisclosed fee. What we do know is that the estate and brand is now worth $162 million.

Champagne Fleur de Miraval ER1 was a success, with an exclusive 20,000 bottles being produced, which ties into the name.

The ER1 has a meaning, the ‘E’ stands for ‘Exclusively’ and the ‘R’ stands for ‘Rosé’, the 1 is in reference to the fact this is their first Sparkling Rosé to hit the market, but not for long.

In 2021 Champagne Fleur de Miraval ER2, their second Rosé hit the market, containing a blend of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, the Chardonnay would be a mix of the richness of the 2012 vintage and the perfect balance of the 2014 vintage, the remaining 25% is made up from young Pinot Noirs grapes.

“I was impressed last year with the success of our first edition, Fleur de Miraval ER1. With ER2, we pushed the limits even further, we created new extremes for quality,” said Brad Pitt. “Being the only Champagne house exclusively devoted to Rosé Champagne, each edition of Fleur de Miraval is a constant quest for beauty, a desire to create space for all possibilities.” – Brad Pitt

The winery is operated by ‘Pitt, Perrin and Peters. 3Ps, three souls, three sensibilities and three ardent desires to create the unforgettable.’

Champagne Fleur de Miraval is the only Champagne house to solely dedicate itself to producing Rosé Champagne, which is something that Brad Pitt is passionate about.

“For me, Champagne conjures up feelings of celebration, quality, prestige and luxury. But rosé Champagne is still relatively unknown. I wanted us to try to create the defining brand of rosé Champagne, focusing all our efforts on just this one color. The result is spectacular and I’m very proud of it.” – Brad Pitt

Jay-Z + Armand de Brignac

Armand de Brignac, otherwise commonly known as Ace of Spades was created by the Cattier family in 2000 with the sole aim of creating the world’s most expensive Champagne, releasing their first Champagne in 2006.

Hip-Hop artists and Rapper often showcase Champagne in their lyrics and videos, promoting the finest things in life, but did you know before Ace of Spades took the limelight, it was Louis Roederer’s Cristal that was thoroughly enjoyed and shared to the ever-growing audiences from these lyrical kings.

That all changed with a very poor choice of words from Cristal’s Manager Frederic Rouzaud (now CEO) when he said during an interview “That’s a good question, but what can we do? We can’t forbid people from buying it.” after being asked ‘If an association with rap could hurt Cristal?’

The music industry got pissed, with Jay-Z calling for a boycott, Rouzaud tried to fix the problem with a statement saying that the company had “The utmost regard for, and interest in, all forms of art and culture,” it didn’t fix anything.

″Those comments forced us to build our own thing,” – Jay-Z

Shortly after Louis Roederer’s Cristal vanished from the Hip-Hop and Rapper scene, being replaced with Armand de Brignac, which made its first music appearance in “Show Me What You Got” released in 2006. While at a Poker table, Jay-Z is presented with a bottle of Louis Roederer’s Cristal which he waves away, then a silver briefcase that Jay-Z brought to the party is opened and inside is a bottle of Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades).

It quickly became known as the ‘Ace of Spades’ because of Jay-Z and the golden ace that’s embossed on the bottle.

That same year in 2006, Shawn Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z, would partner with Armand de Brignac, buying 50% of the company for an undisclosed amount, then in 2014, Carter would become the sole owner of Armand de Brignac by buying the remaining 50%, becoming the first Rapper to fully own a Champagne label.

In 2021, Jay-Z sold 50% of Armand de Brignac to LVMH, which is a Luxury Goods Company, this deal was given to their spirit and wine division Moët Hennessy, although we don’t know the exact number, the deal did value the company at upwards of $600 Million.

Leonardo DiCaprio + Champagne Telmont

“We aim to act in the name of Mother Nature in everything we do.” – Leonardo DiCaprio

Earlier this year, (2022), in case you’re reading this article in 2023, Leonardo DiCaprio invested an un-disclosed amount in Telmont Champagne, other than being a lover of Champagne, Leonardo is also very passionate about sustainability, Telmont says that’s one of the reasons that drew Dicaprio to invest in Telmont.

J. de Telmont was founded in 1912, in Damery, which is near Epernay, the brand is run by cellar master and head of viticulture Bertrand Lhôpital, who is also the 4th generation to lead Telmont into the future. In 2021 the company was simply renamed, Telmont Champagne.

The green aspect of Telmont is significant, with them earning their first organic agriculture certification for a part of its vineyards in 2017, their aim is to complete this endeavor by 2025 and plans to help their fellow Champagne growers achieve full sustainable conversion by 2031.

“Champagne Telmont, together with its partner winegrowers, has set its sights on producing 100 percent organic Champagne, ensuring a completely sustainable production lifecycle in the coming years. From protecting biodiversity on its land to using 100 percent renewable electricity, Champagne Telmont is determined to radically lower its environmental footprint, making me proud to join as an investor.” – Leonardo Dicaprio

Sustainability is nothing new in the world of Champagne and Sparkling Wine, hundreds of wineries all over the world are becoming more sustainable every day, the objective set out by ‘Champagne’, has the aim to make every Champagne house environmentally certified by 2030 and to reduce their carbon footprint by 75% by 2050.

Currently, around 20% of the Champagne producers in Champagne are certified.

“Leonardo DiCaprio’s decision to become a shareholder sends Telmont a strong message of support that will encourage us as we carry out our ambitious plans. We share the same convictions and the same commitment to protecting the environment. The house has one foot in tradition and the other in modernity, but both firmly rooted in the terroir. We aim to act in the name of Mother Nature in everything we do.” – Ludovic du Plessis, the chairman and shareholder of Telmont Champagne

Although Leonardo Dicaprio has a financial state in Champagne Telmont, according to the company, that is the extent of how involved he is.

Mariah Carey + Angel Champagne

Brought to the market thanks to Mariah Carey, Angel Champagne is a product from Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Champagne Region, where it was blended using only the richest pressings from Premier Cru harvested grapes and cellared 100 feet underground before being released to those who wished to taste the Angel’s light.

Mariah Carey has always had a love for Champagne, so it was no surprise when she announced he own Champagne label, she has four different Champagnes on offer, with her Angel Brut Champagne and Angel Rosé Champagne being available in a standard Bottle, a Magnum, Jeroboam or even a Methuselah bottle, she also had a Halo Edition and an Angel Vintage 2005.

The cheapest bottle cost £113.99 for a standard brut and her most expensive bottle was her Rosé Methuselah bottle costing £3,240. Everything on her website is out of stock, unfortunately, so you’ll have to look elsewhere if you really want to try a bottle.

Her non-vintage brut aged for 30 months, their rosé took 36 months and their vintage cuvées aged over 7-8 years.

50 Cent + Champagne Le Chemin du Roi

Curtis James Jackson III, aka, 50 Cent, the famous American Rapper took a step into the Champagne world in 2018 by launching his own Champagne label, called Le Chemin du Roi, otherwise referred to or translated as ‘The KINGS Path’, it is produced by Champagne Castelnau, each bottle is adorned with a 14 carat rose gold-plated Cross of the King.

This blend is 40% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir and 45% Pinot Meunier with the dosage being 8g/lt and aged for more than 4 years on the lees.

Roger Daltrey + Champagne Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey is one of the lead vocalists from the 60s rock band, The Who, he has also made appearances and started in some movies like Tommy and Quadrophenia.

With the help of Champagne Charles Orban, Roger Daltrey was able to launch his own Champagne on the 18th of June 2016 called Champagne Roger Daltrey.

The bottle stands out from the crowd by utilising his band’s bullseye logo, his Champagne was created to celebrate The Who’s 50th Anniversary and to promote his charity, Teen Cancer America, of which he is a Co-founder along with Pete Townshend, he always donates a percentage of the profits from each bottle of Champagne that is sold.

The singer went a step further in 2021, due to the effects of Covid-19 Lockdowns, which meant the cancellation of 14 Teenage Cancer Trust concerts, Roger Daltrey decided to try and increase the number of donations which was at a low point, by donating all the profits from every Champagne bottle that was sold.

The Champagne is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier, it is available exclusively through Eminent-Life.

“I took my inspiration for the bottle from the Tommy album cover which is a favorite of mine … the album that cemented our legacy. I can’t wait for everyone to try it.” He added: “I am very excited to have this opportunity to express my passion for Champagne through this limited edition cuvée. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.” – Roger Daltrey

 

Image Credit: Leonardo Dicaprio – Brad Pitt – Mariah Carey