Champagne Brut
Millésimé Réserve Magnum 2004

The Champagne Millésimé Réserve by Laurent-Perrier is one of the rarest expressions of the Tours-sur-Marne Maison, which declares a Vintage only in truly exceptional years and lets it rest in the cellar for a long time before release. Its character comes from two great Champagne terroirs. Pinot Noir comes from the Grand Cru villages of Verzy, Mailly, Verzenay and Bouzy on the Montagne de Reims, together with Aÿ, and Chardonnay comes from Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly in the Côte des Blancs. From these wines the Maison keeps only the very best, for a label that takes its style of finesse, purity and freshness to the highest level. It is released only in magnum, a format that lets it evolve slowly and harmoniously over time.

This rare edition, Vintage 2004, comes from a year with an even winter and a mild spring, followed by a long flowering and a late season with three weeks of sunshine and cool nights, ideal conditions for full and balanced ripening of the grapes. The blend brings together Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in equal parts, with vinification and fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel. This follows the Maison's approach of protecting the fruit and aiming for the greatest aromatic precision. After tirage comes a very long ageing on the lees of around twenty years, while the final dosage of 6 g/l, in Brut style, quietly supports the complexity the wine has built over the years.

On tasting, Millésimé Reserve 2004 shows an intense, bright gold colour with a fine, creamy perlage. The nose opens with brioche, toasted bread and pastry, then honey, dried fruit and lime zest. Chardonnay brings citrus and white flowers, and Pinot Noir adds riper fruit, over a mineral and lightly toasted background. On the palate the attack is rich and enveloping, carried by a still vibrant acidity that keeps the wine fresh and lively. The structure is elegant and the mousse silky, and the finish is long, savoury and chalky, with great persistence and remarkable harmony.