Champagne Brut
Millésimé Réserve Magnum 2006

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 edition, Vintage 2006, comes from a year that opened with a cold winter and a mild spring, followed by a summer of sharp contrasts between the July heat and a cooler, rainier August, before a harvest that delivered well-ripened grapes and an abundant crop. The blend brings together Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in equal parts, using only the cuvée juice, with vinification and fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel, following 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-two 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 Réserve 2006 shows a bright, deep gold colour with a fine, creamy perlage. The nose is generous and opens with brioche, toasted bread and hazelnut, then ripe yellow fruit, candied citrus and honey, along with delicate hints of white flowers that Chardonnay brings with elegance, over a mineral background that adds lift and definition. On the palate the attack is broad and enveloping, with the fullness typical of a warm year balanced by a still lively acidity that keeps the wine fresh and taut. The structure is firm and the mousse silky, and the finish is long, savoury and chalky, with great persistence and harmony.