Ethereal floral and raspberry nose. A vinous palate with a mild mousse, the soft texture all wrapped in spice, nuts, smoke and a superior berry tincture. Producer Information Laurent Perrier is one of Champagne's most famous houses, founded in 1812 in the village of Tours-sur-Marne. Its house style is known for its finesse and elegance, based around an emphasis on the Chardonnay variety in all but the rosé wines. Chardonnay accounts for 55 percent of the blend in La Cuvée (the renamed Brut Non-Vintage). This proportion was increased from 2004 when the company gained access to some additional Chardonnay vineyards. Recently the level of sugar in the dosage has dropped from 12.5 to nine grams per liter. Across the range, Pinot Noir is used to provide structure and longevity. Pinot Meunier is only used in small proportions in La Cuvée Brut and the Harmony Demi-Sec labels. The Brut Vintage is made less often than is the case for some houses. Both this and the Ultra Brut (a brut nature / zero dosage wine) are typically made from equal parts of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Grand Siècle is the house's prestige cuvée, first released in 1959. It is unusual for a prestige Champagne in that it is blended from three vintages. Effectively, the house seeks to consistently produce a wine with the quality of a theoretical vintage release from an absolutely perfect year. From 2019, the company introduced an "Iteration number" to identify each release. This began with Iteration 24 (the 24th Grand Siècle, from the 2007 (60 percent) 2006 and 2004 vintages (20 percent each). Alongside these white wines, Laurent-Perrier makes a pair of rosé Champagnes (for which it is particularly well known). The popular Cuvée Rosé is made entirely from Pinot Noir. The vintage Cuvée Alexandra, the house's most exclusive wine, includes 20 percent Chardonnay. The wines are vinified separately according to their vineyard, allowing for more control over the blending process. Laurent-Perrier was one of the first Champagne houses to use stainless steel tanks for fermentation. The company has thousands of bottles stored in 11 kilometers (seven miles) of cool, humid cellars under the house at Tours-sur-Marne, awaiting their eventual disgorgement and release. Like Veuve Clicquot, Laurent Perrier's success is due to a widow, in this case Mathilde Emilie Perrier. After the vineyards were established, the original owner gave control of the company to his cellarmaster Eugene Laurent and his wife Perrier.
