Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut NV

Profile & Story

Laurent-Perrier traces its origins to 1812, when André-Michel Pierlot, a former cooper and bottler, founded the house in Tours-sur-Marne, a Grand Cru village at the crossroads of Champagne's three principal vineyard areas. The house took the Laurent-Perrier name in 1887 under Mathilde-Emilie Perrier, widow of cellar master Eugène Laurent. In 1939, Marie-Louise de Nonancourt, then a widow with four children, acquired the estate; her son Bernard de Nonancourt became CEO at age 28 after serving in the French Resistance during the Second World War, and built the house from twenty employees and 80,000 bottles into an international presence exporting to more than 160 countries. Bernard defined the Laurent-Perrier style as 'freshness, elegance, purity,' a philosophy still guided today by Cellar Master Olivier Vigneron. La Cuvée reflects this house style through its notably high proportion of Chardonnay: the blend draws on more than 50% Chardonnay, 30-35% Pinot Noir and 10-15% Meunier, sourced from more than 100 crus, with reserve wines making up 15-30% of the blend and an ageing process of four years in the house's cellars, using what the house calls the purest grape juice. The wine has been well received critically, earning 96/100 from Bettane+Desseauve, 94/100 from James Suckling, and 91/100 from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Pairing Recommendation

Laurent-Perrier recommends La Cuvée as an aperitif or paired with white meat and fish; chef Christian Le Squer suggests a pairing of langoustine with warm mayonnaise.