Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siècle No. 24, Brut
Critics reviews
The NV Grande Cuvée Grand Siècle No. 24 (magnum) is an elegant, gracious Champagne. Citrus and floral notes lend considerable aromatic presence. The No. 24 is built on persistence and length. It is an especially airy, delicate Grand Siècle. Hints of dried lemon peel, white flowers, mint, white pepper and a touch of reduction linger on the close. The No. 24 is especially fine in magnum. Freshness, verve and cut are the signatures, with the energy of 2007 and 2004 driving the feel of this blend.
Drink 2024 - 2039
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (March 2024)
Magnum release (always four to five years later than the bottle release). Blend of 60% 2007 with 20% each of 2006 and 2004. 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir.
What a difference from the No 24 in bottle, released in 2019 and tasted two years ago! Much, much more evolved on the nose than the bottle release. Golden-creamy somehow. Just gorgeous! Tight-knit, like all Grands Siècles, with strong citrus notes, a certain toastiness and a richness on the mid palate that tightens to a dry, appetising finish. Really vigorous and assertive without being too showy. Long and the most luxurious aperitif imaginable. Drinking dates suggested for this magnum release ...
Drink now to 2040
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (May 2024)
Tasted from magnum, a format that won't come to market for another year or two, Laurent-Perrier's NV Brut Grand Siècle #24 is a blend of the 2007, 2006 and 2004 vintages. Wafting from the glass with a lovely bouquet of dried flowers, toasted nuts, mandarin orange, clear honey and subtle hints of iodine, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and expressive, with all the elegant charm and accessibility it displayed when I reviewed it for the first time last year. As I wrote then, this is an especially giving rendition of Grand Siècle that will show well young.
Drink now to 2040
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (June 2020)
This magnum edition was disgorged in 2023, while the bottled version was disgorged in 2018. Dosage 7 grams. 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir. A blend of 2007, 2006 and 2004.
The opulence and freshness with phenolic tension is fascinating. The brioche and lemon tart notes with hints of mangoes and honey are intense and true. Flint undertones. Full-bodied and very layered, with ultra-fine bubbles and a silky and tiny-pearled texture. It’s round and rich with a mineral undertone to the ripe fruit.
Drink or hold
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (August 2024)
Dosage: 7g/L
This iteration has slightly more Pinot Noir than in the current blend (55%), coming from Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy, Mailly, Tours-sur-Marne and a bit from Verzenay. The Chardonnay (45% of the blend) comes from Avize, Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Le Mesnil. The overall impression is of a lovely, creamy wine with rich aromas of ripe apple and just a hint of tropical passion fruit aromas. The blend is 60% from the 2007 vintage and 20% each from 2006 and 2004. This wine is opening now but will hold for decades if properly cellared.
Drink 2022 - 2065
Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (January 2022)
About this WINE
Laurent Perrier
Laurent Perrier was founded by André-Michel Pierlot in 1812 in the village of Tours-sur-Marne. However, it was the Nonancourt family who made this the famous Champagne House it is today. Bernard de Nonancourt, a veteran of the Second World War, took charge of the firm aged just 28. He is credited with creating Laurent-Perrier’s house style, centred on freshness, finesse and elegance. Today, Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt is the fourth generation of the family here.
Laurent-Perrier is unique in that its prestige cuvée, Grand Siècle, is a multi-vintage blend rather than a vintage Champagne. Each “iteration”, as they call their new releases, is produced from three vintages, carefully selected by the Cellar Master.
In 2023, Maximilien Bernardeau was appointed Cellar Master, following in the footsteps of the long-serving Michel Fauconnet.
Brut Champagne
Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.
Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
This is something special. The aromas are so complex, with hints of fresh ginger, toasted nuts, mandarin orange, tarte tatin, nutmeg, honey, white peach and a touch of salted caramel. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a fresh and balanced feel that keeps you coming back for more. It's savoury, vibrant and full of energy. A delicious blend of 2004, 2006, and 2007, it's drinking very nicely now, but it'll be invincible in magnum.
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Joshua Friend, Senior Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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