Armand de Brignac Demi Sec

Armand de Brignac Demi Sec is a 12.5% ABV, 750mL prestige Champagne in the demi-sec style — a multi-vintage blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier, dosed at 33 g/L, deliberately at the low end of the demi-sec band (32–50 g/L), with the sweetness balanced by some of the oldest wines in the Cattier cellars. The brand calls it the only prestige cuvée Demi-Sec in the world; it was once reserved exclusively for guests of the Maison in Chigny-les-Roses. It comes in a purple-metalised bottle in a lacquered wooden gift box. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 12.5%
• Size: 750mL
• Blend: 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier (current official specification)
• Dosage: 33 g/L — low end of the Demi-Sec classification (32–50 g/L)
• Style: Demi-Sec prestige cuvée, multi-vintage; sweetness balanced with the oldest wines in the cellars
• Origin: Chigny-les-Roses, Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France
• Production: Only the first portion of the cuvée press; dosage wine aged one year in new French oak
• Presentation: Purple-metalised bottle, hand-applied French pewter labels, lacquered wooden gift box

The Sweet Ace That Stayed at the Maison

For years the Demi-Sec was the Ace of Spades you could not buy: the Cattier family kept it for visitors to the Maison in Chigny-les-Roses, a sweeter prestige pour in a category — demi-sec — that prestige houses had largely abandoned. Its trick is restraint. At 33 g/L it sits at the very bottom of the demi-sec scale, and the winemakers lean on the oldest wines in their cellars, plus the house's oak-aged dosage, to keep the richness elegant rather than heavy — chocolate, wild blueberry and crystallised citrus instead of syrup. The Cattiers have grown vines in the Montagne de Reims for over 250 years; the Armand de Brignac range they produce launched in 2006 and is today a Jay-Z / Moët Hennessy partnership. Find the drier siblings in our champagne and wine collections, or on the Armand de Brignac vendor page.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Buttered brioche, English candy and stone-fruit compote (current official notes). Palate: Chocolate, wild blueberries and crystallised citrus in a rounded, generous frame. Finish: Long and elegant, lifted by vibrant acidity.

How to Enjoy

Well chilled with foie gras, blue cheese, lightly spiced dishes or baked desserts — the house's pairings all use the gentle sweetness as a seasoning, not a dessert course in itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

How sweet is Armand de Brignac Demi Sec? Demi-Sec means "half-dry": the classification runs 32–50 g/L of dosage sugar, and this cuvée sits at the low end at 33 g/L — noticeably rounder than a brut, but balanced by acidity and old reserve wines rather than simply sweet.

Is the Demi Sec made with red wine, like the Rosé? No — there is no still-red-wine addition in this cuvée. Its depth comes from the blend and the oldest cellar wines used to temper the dosage.

Why was the Demi Sec once unavailable to buy? The brand says it was originally reserved exclusively for guests and visitors of the Maison in Chigny-les-Roses before being released commercially — it remains the only prestige Demi-Sec cuvée of its kind.

The Maison's own pour, in purple — order Armand de Brignac Demi Sec online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.