The sparkling wine that’s made Champagne a byword for sophistication and impeccable taste throughout the civilized world is not the only attraction on offer in this cultured region of northeast France. As Steve Killick discovered, it’s also a Mecca for placomusophiles SAturdAy Morning in reiMS And the MArket in the PlACe du Boulingrin iS in Full Swing. AS trAFFiC roArS down the neArBy BoulevArd louiS roderer And PASt the 3rd-Century gAte oF MArS, ShoPPerS CroSS the Street At their Peril AS they go ABout SeleCting their PurChASeS FroM StAllS heAving with riPe CheeSeS, SeASonAl FruitS, golden roASt ChiCkenS And olive oilS. towards the western end of the market, one unusuallooking stand is doing brisk business, but not for foodstuffs. This is where placomusophiles head to see what new is on offer. For readers unfamiliar with placomusophilia, it is big—not just as a word but as a pastime as well—throughout Champagne in general and its regional capital in particular. There’s nothing nerdy about this back-room hobby—it is the collection of plaques de muselets: the small, shiny, tinplated discs that are placed on top of the caps on most bottles containing effervescent drinks in France. There are tens of thousands of varieties, and some of them, especially those on Champagne corks, are now extremely valuable. it was a Champagne producer, Adolphe Jacquesson, who first came up with the idea of putting a metal top on the cork. Previously hemp twine had been used—well into the 1800s—but this would sometimes cut into the cork when under pressure from the bubbles inside the bottle. Jacquesson took out a patent in 1844 on his design for the cage or capsule—made of galvanized steel wire and sometimes called a muselage after a dog’s muzzle—that is now universally used on all Champagne bottles. But it was only during the 20th century that Champagne houses decided to stamp their own brand names or trademarks—usually painted, lacquered and polished—onto the disk, and in so doing they inadvertently created something collectible. in 1906, the house of Pol roger, from the town of epernay some 20 miles south of reims, decided to declare vintage years by putting the date on its muselets. These are now changing hands for as much as $1,400 each. More than 12,300 different Champagne bottles have been produced to date, depicting every type of design from hunt and farmyard scenes to colored corporate trademarks to small contemporary works of art. Therefore, there is no shortage of places to start collecting—in stores, via magazines and, more recently, the internet; and saving the muselets takes up a lot less space than hanging on to a long-emptied, favorite bottle, quite apart from often proving a much better investment.
Although Michel drappier’s family have been producing their eponymous Champagne since 1807, they did not create their corporate muselets until as recently as 1979 when the name André drappier—after Michel’s father—first appeared on the capsule. now the company just uses the word drappier, even though it produces seven types of Champagne with different muselets on each, plus the occasional special to mark anniversaries. An original André drappier capsule now sells for at least $50. drappier is based in the village of urville on the verdun road west of troyes in southern Champagne and includes cellars that were used as a crypt by Cistercian monks dating back to the 12th century. to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the building, a special capsule was produced bearing the face of Saint Bernard in a variety of colors, depending on the cuvée or blend. drappier achieves its seven cuvées by varying the mix of Champagne grapes. Simply, the Pinot noir grape will be found in the house’s first creation, Brut nature. Another, its Blanc de Blancs Signature, consists of 100 percent Chardonnay while a balance of the two, including a small amount of Pinot Meunier, can be found in its most prestigious cuvée, Millésime exception. As general Charles de gaulle used to serve drappier’s Pinot noir Champagne when hosting presidential parties in his home at Colombe les deux eglises, there is now, not surprisingly, a vintage named after him, complete with a sought-after black and gold capsule that sells for $20. Most collectors of muselets are French, of course, although, with nearly 36 million bottles of Champagne being consumed in 2008 in the united kingdom alone, the number of British collections is increasing rapidly. Collectors start for a variety of reasons, but often they simply want a memento of a much cherished bottle of Champagne drunk in enjoyable or romantic circumstances. A fine bottle consumed in one of the many stunning Champagne houses or their equally beautiful gardens often seems to taste just that little bit better than one cracked open at, say, a formal reception or an office party. But whatever their reason for tuning into this pursuit, would-be placomusophiles need to get started, and the first thing to do is to decide where you want to store your muselets. epernay, generally regarded as Champagne’s other main production center after reims, is home to major producers such as Moet et Chandon, Mercier and Perrier-Jouët as well as Pol roger. Many stores there are dedicated to every conceivable Champagne accessory as well as selling some splendid bottles that are seldom available on general sale outside France. →
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kingdom 16 spring 2010