Laurent Perrier Blanc De Blancs Brut Nature Champagne

This is made up of equal proportions 2012 and 2013 with 40% reserve wine (a large portion being 2009). It was aged on its lees for six years before being disgorged without the addition of dosage. Trying this for the first time in April 2020 was one of the vinous highlights of that decidedly dark time. The nose is focused and precise with a bit of pear, white river stones, preserved lemon and just there buttered toast. The palate is taut and focused with precise minerality and flavors of white tree fruits and citrus. D&M Tasting Notes

While our heart and shelf space is majority focused on the wave of grower Champagnes that have come to the US in increasing numbers for the last few decades, we welcome the established merchants and houses bringing their expertise and ample holdings to creating something new and just as importantly: delicious. The history of the house of Laurent Perrier stretches back to the early 1800s, but the Laurent Perrier that generations of Americans have come to know can be tied tightly to the de Nonancourt family.

Marie-Louise de Nonancourt purchased the house from the Laurent Perrier family in 1939 and stewarded it through WWII while her sons fought in the resistance. Sadly one son died in that great conflict, and when Bernard de Nonancourt returned from the war in his mid-twenties his mother set him on an apprenticeship before she was willing to hand over the reins to the enterprise. After three years as grape laborer, cellar worker, office hand, and sales representative, Marie-Louise named her son Chairman and Chief Executive. When he took over in 1948 Laurent Perrier put their name on some 7,000 cases per year. Bernard would stay at the helm of the house for the bulk of the 20th century until his death in 2010. From there the management of the house passed to his two daughters: Stephanie and Alexandra de Nonancourt.

In October 2019, Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt (fourth generation for those keeping track) stopped by D&M on her swing through the US. That is quite a bit of exposition to say that Laurent Perrier is a family affair. Stability has benefited Laurent Perrier in their modern times and in the 21st century that has largely been thanks to Cellar Master Michel Fauconnet. He has spent his entire 45+ year career at Laurent Perrier and has become something of a Chardonnay specialist. In addition to his work at Laurent Perrier he is notably Cellar Master for Delamotte and Salon. When LP purchased Champagne Malakoff in 2004, their holdings of Chardonnay in the Côte des Blancs substantially increased. With more quality Chardonnay at his disposal, Michel took his time crafting a new cuvee.

Laurent Perrier has a history of making Champagne without the addition of dosage-- from the historical in 1889 with Mathilde Emilie Laurent-Perrier Grand Vin Sans Sucre, to the modern in 1981 with Laurent Perrier’s Ultra Brut. The thing about Brut Nature is that they require grapes that have physiological ripeness and ideal balance between sugar and acidity. This simply doesn’t happen every year especially when working at the scale of Laurent Perrier. For this their first release of the Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Michel Fauconnet stated that “he had sought precision from the Chardonnay of the Montagne de Reims and texture from that of the Côte de Blancs.”  D&M Tasting Notes

 A new cuvée from Laurent-Perrier, the inaugural NV Blanc de Blancs Nature represents the first time this house, for all its emphasis on Chardonnay, has ever released a blanc de blancs. Offering up aromas of citrus fruit, green apple, oyster shell and warm bread, the wine is medium to full-bodied, lively and precise, with a bright spine of ripe acidity and a delicately chalky finish. It's a blend of the 2012 and 2013 vintages with reserve wine from 2009, and chef de cave Michel Fauconnet told me that he had sought precision from the Chardonnay of the Montagne de Reims and texture from that of the Côte de Blancs.93 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate April 2019