Rapper Jay-Z recently appeared on Angie Martinez’ Hot 97 show, where he revealed the Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) champagne he endorses was ranked #1 in the world after taste tests.
The results were published on September 24 in Fine Champagne magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne.
Each Champagne was rated on a 100-point scale.
The process was so strict that, if judges' assessments were more than four points apart, the Champagne would be re-tasted and re-assessed.
“I’m feeling really excited right now,” Jay-Z said from Paris as he popped bottles of the drink.
While the list contains many well known brand names, the surprise first-place finisher was Armand de Brignac Brut Gold, with a taste score ranking of No. 1.
The bubbly is now officially ranked the best tasting champagne in the world, topping brands like Dom Perignon and Jay-Z’s arch-rival brand, Roederer Cristal.
Jay-Z stopped endorsing the brand after Cristal CEO Frederic Rouzaud made disparaging comments to The Economist about rappers’ association with the pricey brand.
"To be selected as the best-tasting Champagne in the world is a remarkable achievement, but to receive such an award in a large blind-tasting competition is testimony to the quality of our product," said Armand de Brignac’s CEO, Jean-Jacques Cattier. "It is a further incentive to continue making the best Champagne in the world for those who are truly passionate about the art of Champagne."
