Bernard Arnault, France’s richest man and CEO of LVMH, hosted the party to celebrate the reopening of Château de Saran earlier this month.
Roger Federer, Moët & Chandon’s brand ambassador, found time to attend ahead of this week’s French Open tennis championship in Paris. He was joined by movie stars Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman, with fashion model Kate Moss also present.
Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alleno created a Moët-inspired menu for the event, while singer Freya Ridings gave a live set to the 150 guests.
The event also celebrated the 150th anniversary of its flagship Moët Imperial label. To mark the birthday, the Champagne house unveiled a limited edition bottle inscribed with a re-designed logo that highlights the ‘I’.
Imperial was so-called in homage to the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who became a close friend of the Moët house at the turn of the nineteenth century.
That relationship was established and nurtured by Jean-Remy Moët, who was the grandson of the house’s founder.
When Moët & Chandon launched and shipped its new, drier NV Champagne in 1869, it was christened Brut Imperial on the centenary of Napoleon’s birth.
Kate Moss, Uma Thurman, Roger Federer, Natalie Portman. Credit: Moët Hennessy
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Château de Saran was built in 1801 by Jean-Remy Moët, just at the time when he befriended Bonaparte.
Overlooking the vineyards of Chouilly in the Côte des Blancs, it was originally conceived as a hunting lodge. During the next 120 years, it was then extended and expanded, becoming the main residence of the Moët family from 1920 until 1952.
Since then it has been used as the principal venue for entertaining Moët & Chandon’s most glamorous guests. Royalty, politicians, movie stars and business moguls have stayed there.
In 2014, it was closed for a five year renovation by Paris-based Atelier Cos and the interior designer Yves de Marseille.
Its 11 bedroom suites have subsequently all been individually themed and decorated to honour a chapter in Moët & Chandon’s glamour-filled history, including the Roaring Twenties, Christian Dior and Hollywood.
Should you be lucky enough to be invited to spend a night in the Louis XIV room or the Imperial suite, a truly unforgettable experience awaits.
