B.A.R. Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) Now, I know a little bit about Champagne but am by no means an expert. So when I read that the Miami Heat celebrated their championship with a 15L bottle of Ace of Spades Champagne that costs $75,000, I thought I had mis-read something. Then I read that someone named Drake spent $40k in a club here in DC recently, and the tab included a bottle of Ace of Spades? So I ask, what the hell is Ace of Spades? I have never heard of Champagne Armand de Brignac (but that doesn’t mean anything). It’s name certainly does not sound French and the bottle looks just awful. Can this apparent NV bottling of Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc really be the most expensive tete de cuvee on the market? I won’t argue the merits of it’s pricing, but is the wine actually good? I hate to be cynical, but this wine seems to me to have been “crafted” by a marketing company and someone is making a ton of money off it. ETA- I can't seem to control my fonts. Edited June 25, 2012 by SeanMike fixing font issue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 It's expensive, so it has to be good, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWBooneJr Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Allow me to introduce the winemaker, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, describing this fine product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Buying the Ace of Spades has been a rite of passage for pro sports teams for the past few championship seasons. The first story I remember is Mark Cuban buying one for his team in Dallas, then the Boston Bruins bought one in Foxwoods after they won they Stanley Cup. A little Web search shows it is owned by the Cattier family, but was started in 2006 as a separate brand. I think it is a bit of genius marketing, every time someone with too much money buys one of these bottles reports pop up on the internet. You can get a normal-sized bottle for a mere $250, and I think I saw the metal bottles get some product placement in The Avengers and Prometheus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedE Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 People who think very highly of themselves will never be able to resist purchasing products that are (cunningly? cynically?) priced precisely to re-enforce the notion that they are justified in thinking very highly of themselves. I think the kids these days have a word for it: flossin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.A.R. Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 I did some quick internet research last night, and it wAZs fascinating. Apparently, at the precise time that an executive at Roederer complained about the presence of Cristal in the hip-hop market, the Cattier family stopped selling their Antique Gold Brut NV that came in a gold plated bottle ($50) and revived a long dead brand called Armand de Brignac, whose signature bottling came ina a gold plated bottle called Ace of Spades. ($250). The first known appearance of said wine, press releases not withstanding, was in a Jay Z video, where he eschews Cristal in favor of Ace of Spades. And so it began. Rumor has it that Jay Z has a stake in the marketing company that owns the brand, but it has not been proven. I could find no technical specifications for Ace of Spades anywhere on the internet. For all intents and purposes, it looks to me like someone repackaged a non-descript Brut NV and marked it up 500%. Shit like this must make Terry Theise's head explode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I did some quick internet research last night, and it wAZs fascinating. Apparently, at the precise time that an executive at Roederer complained about the presence of Cristal in the hip-hop market, the Cattier family stopped selling their Antique Gold Brut NV that came in a gold plated bottle ($50) and revived a long dead brand called Armand de Brignac, whose signature bottling came ina a gold plated bottle called Ace of Spades. ($250). The first known appearance of said wine, press releases not withstanding, was in a Jay Z video, where he eschews Cristal in favor of Ace of Spades. And so it began. Rumor has it that Jay Z has a stake in the marketing company that owns the brand, but it has not been proven. I could find no technical specifications for Ace of Spades anywhere on the internet. For all intents and purposes, it looks to me like someone repackaged a non-descript Brut NV and marked it up 500%. Shit like this must make Terry Theise's head explode. Isn't there a saying about fools and their money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsDiPesto Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Well, I'm writing a business plan to bring out a $500 750ml of Chien Enragé Vingt Deux Fois, with a pit bull on the label. Come 'n get it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarad Slipp Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 It is without a doubt the worst champagne I've tasted above say $75. It's all branding/image over substance. Don't believe me? Voila - http://www.complex.com/music/2011/03/jay-z-ace-of-spades Though to be fair, with most Grand Marques a nice portion of your scrilla is fed directly to the PR machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 It is without a doubt the worst champagne I've tasted above say $75. It's all branding/image over substance. Don't believe me? Voila - http://www.complex.com/music/2011/03/jay-z-ace-of-spades Though to be fair, with most Grand Marques a nice portion of your scrilla is fed directly to the PR machine. They have it at Proof for $450. That's about $75 per Porsche'n. (Of course they also offer Lahèrte, Gatinois, Geoffroy, Margaine, P.Paillard, Prevost, and Vazart-Coquart. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunnyJohn Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Isn't this the stuff that Jay-Z stocks at his club? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now