Séverine Frerson
AFFINITY & ASPIRATION
Séverine Frerson, cellar master of Perrier-Jouët, feels a special affinity with Rose-Adélaïde Jouët who founded the House with Pierre-Nicolas Perrier. She identifies with her strong and independent character. When Séverine Frerson looked through Maison Perrier-Jouët’s archives, she discovered that Rose-Adélaïde Jouët took an active role in receiving visitors and presenting the House and its cuvées. She placed great importance on personal exchanges and conviviality, notions Séverine Frerson exemplify herself.
I am fascinated by Ephemera, a work commissioned by Perrier-Jouët from the designer duo Mischer’Traxler. It is a large oak table inlaid with different plant motifs – ferns, fungi, flowers – that retreat back into the table when anyone approaches. It raises all sorts of questions about our relationship with nature and about the essence of life itself.
TEXTURES OF WINE
When it comes to tasting wines, Séverine Frerson emphasizes texture. Even as a child, she remembers feeling compelled to touch the leaves and the grapes on the vine. She has honed her sense of touch for over two decades until it has become almost as important to her as her sense of smell. Now, as cellar master, she is drawing her team into her innovative approach, linking Maison Perrier-Jouët’s language of flowers with the language of texture as she sets her sights on ever greater precision and perfection.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Perpetuating the style and quality of the House while ushering it into a new era is how Séverine Frerson sees her mission as Maison Perrier-Jouët’s 8th cellar master. Evolving symbiotically with nature since it’s foundation, Maison Perrier-Jouët is stepping up its environmental initiatives to meet ambitious targets. Navigating the vagaries of climate change and spearheading new, more sustainable methods of viticulture are just a few of the challenges that Séverine Frerson hopes to overcome in the next few years, relying on her passion , inspiration, her incredible energy and creativity.
My favorite cuvee is Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs. It is a cuvée for connoisseurs, the absolute quintessence of Chardonnay.
