A Bottle of Your Best Champagne Please
The champagne house of Laurent-Perrier has been making outstanding sparkling wines for nearly two centuries. They are among the best sparkling wines in the world.
The house of Laurent-Perrier was founded in 1812, by Andre Michel Pierlot. Pierlot willed his land to his cellar master, Eugene Laurent. When Laurent died, his widow, Mathilde Emilie Perrier, renamed the house to include both their names, Laurent-Perrier. In 1939, the house was sold to Marie-Louise Lanson de Nonancourt. Marie Louise ran the house while both her sons fought in the French Resistance. Marie-Louise’s oldest son was killed and her youngest son, Bernard, in 1948 became the chairman and chief executive of Laurent-Perrier. Bernard was very creative and independent, breaking away from tradition to create new styles of champagne. He was one of the first to make a brut-nature style of champagne, and to combine vintages to make a luxury cuvée. The Nonancourt family continues to run Laurent-Perrier as one of the largest family-owned champagne houses.
LAURENT-PERRIER BRUT
A champagne with great finesse, purity and freshness. This is the signature style of this house, and can be seen in all of its champagnes. The cuvée has a delicate nose and flavors of peach and white flowers. It is made from 50 percent Chardonnay grapes, a much higher percentage than most other Brut non-vintage champagnes. This is a very balanced and approachable wine with the perfect balance of crispness and finesse. It is great to drink as an aperitif, or with a variety of other foods, such as seafood and poultry.
LAURENT-PERRIER ULTRA BRUT
Brut nature is the driest type of champagne, with no added sugar. The wine is made from 55 percent Chardonnay and 45 percent Pinot Noir. This is a beautiful clean, fresh wine with great minerality, and flavors of honeysuckle and stone fruits. It has a long, clean, persistent finish and would pair well with seafood, raw oysters, caviar and sushi.
LAURENT-PERRIER HARMONY DEMI-SEC
This is the sweetest of the Laurent-Perrier wines. It is made from 45 percent Chardonnay, 40 percent Pinot Noir and 15 percent Pinot Meunière. It has a brilliant golden color with aromas of dried fruits, almonds and hazelnuts. This is a full-bodied, rich, round wine with a clean and elegant finish. It lends itself to cakes and tarts but is delicious to drink alone on a hot summer day.
LAURENT-PERRIER CUVÉE ROSÉ
The sparkling rosé was created in 1968, and is known for its consistently high quality; it is the benchmark for sparkling rosé around the world. The rosé is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir and aged for 5 years. The rosé has a beautiful raspberry color, with flavors of cherry, strawberry, raspberry and red currants. It is a lush, round, fresh, supple wine that will pair well with Asian and Indian meals, as well as raw fish, red fruit desserts, as an aperitif, or on its own.
LAURENT-PERRIER GRAND SIECLE MV
This champagne was launched in 1959. It is the prestige cuvée of this champagne house. Grand Siecle means great century, and refers to the period of French history during the reign of King Louis XIV. This wine is made from 55 percent Chardonnay and 45 percent Pinot Noir. It is made exclusively from 100 percent Grand Cru grapes from 11 of the top villages in Champagne, and is aged for 7 to 8 years. This wine is the blending of three exceptional and complementary vintages. Bernard called it “the best with the best to obtain the best.” The bottle shape is recreated from the hand-blown glass bottles of the 17th century. This is an intense and complex wine but still retains its elegance and delicacy.
The champagnes made by Laurent-Perrier are certainly among the best. If you have the opportunity to try any of these fabulous wines, you will find the common characteristics of purity, freshness, elegance and balance. What more could you ask for? Enjoy!
Please drink responsibly!
