Like many producers in Champagne, the history of Laurent-Perrier goes back over two centuries, but unlike many of the other grandes maisons, Laurent-Perrier remains a family-run, independent producer. While that might not sound all that exceptional, it enables Laurent-Perrier to be driven by core principles and not the often bottom line decisions that one finds in large corporations.
The house that would eventually become Laurent-Perrier was founded in 1812 by André-Michel Pierlot in Tours-sur-Marne, a Grand Cru village on the Montagne de Reims, about a 15 kilometer (roughly 10 miles) bike ride due east from Épernay. André-Michel passed the winery on to his son, Alphonse, but the latter had no heirs, so upon his death, he left everything to his cellar-master, Eugène Laurent.
Unfortunately, Eugène Laurent died shortly thereafter in 1889, leaving Laurent Champagne to his wife, Mathilde-Emilie Perrier, who changed the name of the winery to Veuve Laurent-Perrier.
An interesting side-note here. Until relatively recently, women, either married or un-wed, had few rights in France as the Napoleonic Code of 1804 which subordinated women’s rights to either their father or their husband. The exception, however, was for widows, who had virtually the same rights (to work, to business ownership, even to having a bank account) as men. This is why the history of Champagne is chockfull of strong, influential, and powerful widows for if they remarried, their companies would have been immediately turned over to their new husbands. It remained the law in France until 1965.
When the Veuve Laurent-Perrier died in 1925, she left the company to her daughter, Eugénie-Hortense Laurent*. This was the inter-war period in Europe and a tough time to run a business and Laurent-Perrier struggled, laden with significant debt, which is why, in 1939, Eugénie-Hortense Laurent sold the company to Marie-Louise Lanson de Nonancourt.
*Another note here. I have no idea how Eugénie-Hortense Laurent could have taken over the company given French laws at the time. I have found no indication that she, too, was a widow, but I will keep searching.
Marie-Louise de Nonancourt was part of the prestigious Lanson family, one of the most respected producers in Champagne, but she was one of thirteen children and recognized that any inheritance would be, at best, messy. She realized she needed to branch out on her own and create a legacy for her own four children. She thus gathered all the resources she had available and purchased the then down-trodden Laurent-Perrier*.
*My last note: she was able to purchase and run her own company since she, too, was a widow–her husband had died in World War I.
1939 was, of course, the start of World War II in Europe and both of Marie-Louise’s sons, Maurice and Bernard, served in the war. Tragically, Maurice, her oldest child, was killed in a Nazi concentration camp, but Bernard, the youngest, was a prominent member of the Maquis Underground, a vital component of the French Resistance, and returned home after the war to work in the family business.
Bernard de Nonancourt, after a rigorous apprenticeship with the company (he famously performed every job at Laurent-Perrier, from “cellar rat” on up) was eventually appointed the head of Laurent-Perrier in 1948. Over the next five decades (he passed away in 2010), Bernard de Nonancourt would not only transform Laurent-Perrier into one of Champagne’s top producers, but he would introduce several innovations that would shape the future of the region as a whole.
Bernard de Nonancourt was responsible for creating the now-famous Laurent-Perrier style, which is characterized by an emphasis on “freshness, elegance, purity”. Today, the winemaking philosophy at Laurent-Perrier is based on three main pillars, or what the company refers to as Savoir-Faire (roughly, “know-how”): Blending Reserve Wines, Maceration, and Non-Dosage.
Over the next few weeks, I will cover each of these Savoir-Faire more in depth, with a champagne that best exemplifies the concept, and I will finish with the house’s top wine, or Tête de Cuvée, La Grande Siécle.
Last week, I started my exploration of Laurent-Perrier with the flagship La Cuvée Brut, and this week I delve head first into the 2015 Brut Millésimé. As with most houses in Champagne, vintage (millésimé) wines are only made in the best years, and by most accounts, 2015 was a very good year, indeed.
2015 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Millésimé, Champagne, France: $125. Extremely Heavy Bottle (900g; 31.6oz). Chardonnay 50%, Pinot Noir 50%. Traditionally, vintage champagnes were only made in the very best of years, but, since global heating has become a thing, pretty much every year is now a vintage. Additionally, while all the fruit for this wine has to come from the declared vintage, there is still a considerable amount of blending that occurs. Laurent-Perrier has hundreds of parcels to blend to arrive at the “perfect” blend. And this wine? Is pretty close to perfect. First, it is young, even really young as the citrus components really rule the roust here.
But.
This is gangbusters. And, in my opinion, will continue to improve over at least the next decade. At. Least.
Pale straw in the glass with the most delicate of sparkles. And nutty, or maybe a buttered popcorn vibe with a backbone of tree fruit (Bosc pear) and a subtle minerality that surprised me. The palate? Whoa. Initially, the tartness is off the charts. So much so, that it masks (at least a bit) the ample fruit, the flinty, mineral aspect, and that autolytic component that (at least for me) defines champagne.
But.
In the end? The most impressive aspect (out of many) with this champagne is without a doubt the finish. Holy cow and oh my goodness. This wine lasts for double-digit minutes, at least. And that indicates to me that this wine has a long, healthy life ahead. Drink now? You bet. But I wouldn’t (although it is phenomenal)–I would hold onto this for a decade. At least. Outstanding. 96 Points.
the drunken cyclist 