Laurent Perrier, one of Champagne's most famous houses, was founded in the village of Tours-sur-Marne in 1812. Its house style is known for its finesse and elegance, with a focus on Chardonnay in all but the rosé wines. A style born from the vision of one man, Bernard de Nonancourt, who since 1950 has created champagnes based on freshness, sophistication and elegance. Beyond style, what defines Laurent-Perrier is the spirit of innovation pioneering in Champagne.

How It Evolves?

Pinot Noir is used throughout the range to provide structure and longevity. Pinot Meunier is only used in trace amounts in the La Cuvée Brut and Harmony Demi-Sec labels. The Brut Vintage is produced less frequently than other houses. This, as well as the Ultra Brut (a brut nature / zero dosage wine), are typically made from equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Grand Siècle is the prestige cuvée of the house, first released in 1959. It is uncommon for a prestige Champagne to be blended from three vintages. In essence, the house strives to consistently produce a wine of the quality of a theoretical vintage release from a perfect year.

To identify each release, the company began using an "Iteration number" in 2019. It all started with Iteration 24 (the 24th Grand Siècle, based on vintages from 2007 (60 per cent), 2006, and 2004). (20 per cent each). Laurent-Perrier also produces two Laurent Perrier Champagne Rose items in addition to these white wines (for which it is particularly well known). The well-known Cuvée Rosé is made entirely of Pinot Noir. The house's most exclusive wine, the vintage Cuvée Alexandra, contains 20% Chardonnay. 

In La Cuvée, Chardonnay accounts for 55% of the blend (the renamed Brut Non-Vintage). This percentage increased in 2004 when the company gained access to additional Chardonnay vineyards. The sugar content of the dosage has recently been reduced from 12.5 to nine grammes per litre.

Storage

The wines are aged individually according to their vineyard, which allows for greater control over the assembly process. Laurent-Perrier was one of the first Champagne producers to use stainless steel tanks for fermentation. The company has thousands of bottles stored in 11 kilometres (seven miles) of cool, wet cellars under the house in Tours-sur-Marne, waiting for them to finally be disgraced and released. 

How It Became Famous?

Like Veuve Clicquot, Laurent Perrier's success is attributed to a widow, in this case, Mathilde Emilie Perrier. After the wineries were established, the original owners gave control of the business to his cellar owner Eugène Laurent and his wife Perrier. After he died in 1887, Perrier took over the house, naming it for herself and her late husband. Under her leadership, Laurent-Perrier became one of Champagne's most successful businesses in the years leading up to World War I. 

Laurent-Perrier was sold in 1939 to the de Nonancourt family, and Bernard de Nonancourt, a war hero who was part of Hitler's cellar excavation unit after World War II, took control of the house in 1948. He held power until his death in 2010 and is widely recognized as the man who created the modern image of Laurent-Perrier. Today it is the official property of the Laurent-Perrier Group. Other homes in the group include Salon and Delamotte. 

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