FAQ
Our expert answers your questions
What makes the House of Prunier unique?
Founded in 1872 by Alfred Prunier and developed by Emile Prunier, who brought caviar to it, Prunier is the world's first caviar House. Its singularity lies in its complete mastery of the caviar journey: farming, restaurant, boutique. As early as 1921, Prunier produced its first caviars from wild sturgeon fished in the Gironde estuary. Then, anticipating the classification of the sturgeon as a protected species, the Manufacture of Laurent and Valérie Sabeau was founded in 1987 in Aquitaine: there, farming took over from wild fishing. A global benchmark in responsible caviar production, the Prunier Manufacture continues to cultivate an artisanal craft unique in France through the farming of two sturgeon species: Acipenser Baerii and Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii.
What does the IGP Caviar d'Aquitaine mean?
The IGP, or Protected Geographical Indication, is a European label that guarantees the origin and traceability of the caviar. Every Baeri Prunier carries it. This mark attests to several criteria: farming carried out strictly in Aquitaine, in the pure waters of the Isle, and a preparation that meets a precise set of specifications. It is a guarantee of origin, one that gives French caviar all its authenticity.
How many years of farming does a Prunier caviar require?
The sturgeon are raised for between eight and twelve years on average in the conscientious farms of the Prunier Manufacture, in Aquitaine. For the Baeri, a minimum of six years is required before the fish can yield its precious roe. The Oscietra, slower to mature, reaches its full maturity between ten and fifteen years, sometimes longer for the rarest expressions. This work of time is what gives the Prunier pearl its precise texture and its aromatic palette unlike any other.
What is the difference between the three expressions of Baeri Prunier?
The three Baeri Prunier each express a distinct reading of the same species, Acipenser Baerii. The Baeri Paris is a caviar with large amber and bronzed pearls, lightly salted, with a subtle briny finesse (intensity 2/5). The Baeri St. James is brinier (4/5), with a generous hit of flavour and a long persistence.
As for the Baeri Tradition, it offers a balance between marine notes and aromatic complexity (3/5).
Finding the Prunier caviar that is right for you
Our Prunier assortment brings together six caviars around two sturgeon species, Acipenser Baerii and Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii.
Among the Baeri, the Baeri Tradition expresses a frank balance between briny and walnut notes. The Baeri Paris, for its part, is distinguished by its large bronzed pearls giving way to delicate briny notes.
The Baeri St. James, launched in 1932 with the opening of the Prunier restaurant in London, wins you over with its briny intensity and fine persistence.
Among the Oscietra, the Classique offers a delicate flavour with hazelnut notes. The Oscietra Supérieur, rarer (20% of production), reveals an incomparable creaminess on the palate. As for the Oscietra Héritage (1% of production), it embodies the ultimate expression of Prunier finesse, marked by its singular aromatic complexity.
How to choose your Prunier caviar
It all depends on the aromatic profile you are looking for. For a generous salty hit, the Baeri St. James remains the benchmark. Lovers of delicately briny caviars will find what they are looking for in the Baeri Paris or the Oscietra Héritage. The Baeri Tradition is well suited to an approachable tasting that is representative of French caviar. And to explore the complexity of Oscietra, the Classique offers a natural gateway, with the Oscietra Supérieur extending the experience towards greater finesse and roundness on the palate.
Prunier, the signature of French caviar
It was in 1872 that Alfred Prunier opened his first boutique in Paris; Emile Prunier then took over the business and brought caviar production to it. In 1921, the House became the first to produce French caviar, then from wild sturgeon fished in the Gironde estuary. Anticipating the classification of the sturgeon as a protected species, the Manufacture of Laurent and Valérie Sabeau was founded in 1987 in Aquitaine, near the Dordogne, where farming took over from wild fishing. From then on, it was here that the expression of contemporary French caviar took shape, in keeping with a craft passed down from generation to generation.
At the heart of this work, salting by hand holds a decisive place. Each type of salting and maturation is chosen to bring out the best of every species, from Baeri to Oscietra. To this is added a responsible farming approach, undertaken since 1987, in which the welfare of the sturgeon is an integral part of the craft. It is this continuity that gives Prunier its essential place in the world of caviar.