The second in our series of weekly Christmas promotions sees special offers on two of champagnes most notorious brands: Laurent-Perrier and Veuve Clicquot. With La Cuvée NV, Cuvée Rosé NV, Extra Brut Extra Old MV, Yellow Label NV Magnums and more on offer, there’s something to please every palate!
16% off Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée NV, just £33.95
13% off Laurent-Perrier Vintage 2007, just £49.95
17% off Laurent-Perrier Rosé NV, just £49.95
Although originally founded in 1812, the name Champagne Laurent-Perrier was not conceived until 1964. After changing hands through several deaths and marriages, it was Bernard de Nonancourt who initiated Laurent-Perrier’s rise to world fame. One of Champagne’s most important figures in the 20th century, he officially took over in 1948 after a three-year apprenticeship at the Houses of Delamotte and Lanson. In his 62-year tenure, production grew from just 80,000 bottles annually to over eight million. Under de Nonancourt, Laurent-Perrier were the first House to use stainless-steel vats and the first House to create both a zero dosage champagne (Ultra Brut) and a non-vintage prestige cuvée (Grand Siècle).
Sadly, de Nonancourt passed away in 2010 and Laurent-Perrier is now managed by his two daughters, Alexandra and Stéphanie. The production style is elegant, Chardonnay-driven, pure and fruit-forward and current Cellar Master Michel Fauconnet believes strictly in minimising oxidation. Indeed, Laurent-Perrier are one of the most reductive in style, serving to enhance their fruity expression and smoky complexity. Now one of the region’s largest producers, they are perhaps best known for Cuvée Rosé, the most recognised rosé champagne on the planet.
| Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée NV 50% CH, 35% PN, 15% PM | Lees Ageing: 4 Years | Dosage: 9 g/l “Smoky reductive nose with real depth and lively age. Serious champagne, though at the full price it’s quite expensive.” – Jancis Robinson MW 16.5/20 |
| Laurent-Perrier Vintage 2007 50% CH, 50% PN | Lees Ageing: 7 Years | Dosage: 8 g/l “Greenish lemon colour. Very tight knit and introvert on the nose – this does remind me of Grand Siècle! Lime structure and tense but tastes a little sweeter than 8 g/l. Perhaps that’s the year. Chalky finish. Fan of flavour on the end. Very easy to drink already but with the potential to age. Quite flirtatious.” – Jancis Robinson MW 17/20 |
| Laurent-Perrier Rosé NV 100% PN | Reserve Wine: 15% | Lees Ageing: 5 Years | Dosage: 8 g/l “Well-melded nose. Some age and development on the palate. Character and depth, and a bit of astringency on the finish.” – Jancis Robinson MW 16.5/20 |
19% off Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV, just £36.95
7% off Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old MV, just £69.95
7% off Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV Magnum, just £86.95
Founded in 1772, Veuve Clicquot is a house steeped in rich history that owes its success largely to one woman. When Barbe-Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin was widowed in 1805 at the age of just twenty-seven, she boldly took over sole management of the business and changed the future of Champagne forever. Displaying serious business acumen early in her tenure, decisions such as defying the blockade during the Napoleonic Wars and secretly shipping champagne to Russia gave Veuve Clicquot a significant lead over other houses post-war. Madame Clicquot also invented the riddling rack – an apparatus that removes the sediment from the bottle after second fermentation, still used in the region today – at her kitchen table.
Privileged to a respectable 382-hectare estate with facilities to envy, Veuve Clicquot today run an immense operation in Reims. The house style is voluptuous and deeply fruity with a preference for Pinot Noir dominance. An unusually large proportion of old reserve wines give their non-vintage champagne nuances and depth not found elsewhere and their vintage expressions are deliciously ageing classics. Industry veteran, Dominique Demarville has been ensuring Veuve Clicquot’s continued success as Cellar Master since 2008.
| Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV 55% PN, 30% CH, 15% PM | Reserve Wine: 25-40% | Lees Ageing: 3 Years | Dosage: 10 g/l “Tasted blind. Came 11th out of 12 in the tasting. Pale straw gold. Light, complex nose. Good savour. Some smokiness. Really neat and tight. Lots of potential. Some appley acidity and really clean on the end. Very complex on the end. Full of vitality. One of the most youthful wines in this dozen. Delicate bead.” – Jancis Robinson MW 17.5/20 |
| Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old MV 47% PN, 27% CH, 26% PM | Vintages: 1988, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 | Lees Ageing: 5 Years | Disgorged: June 2016 | Dosage: 10 g/l | Post-Disgorgement Ageing: 2 Years “Pungent and explosive on the nose. Very pure and focused, this actually smells more youthful than the Yellow Label based on the 2013 vintage. Tight and very zesty with the most impressive texture. Despite the high refreshment factor, there is nothing painful about this. The acidity is extremely well integrated. Super fresh. Well balanced and impressive.” – Jancis Robinson MW 16.5/20 |
| Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV Magnum 55% PN, 30% CH, 15% PM | Reserve Wine: 25-40% | Lees Ageing: 3 Years | Dosage: 10 g/l “Tasted blind. Came 11th out of 12 in the tasting. Pale straw gold. Light, complex nose. Good savour. Some smokiness. Really neat and tight. Lots of potential. Some appley acidity and really clean on the end. Very complex on the end. Full of vitality. One of the most youthful wines in this dozen. Delicate bead.” – Jancis Robinson MW 17.5/20 |
The gates to Laurent-Perrier in Tours-sur-Marne
The world’s best selling Rosé Champagne
A Veuve Clicquot vineyard near the house in Verzy
