Champagne Laurent Perrier - Cuvée Grand Siècle Itération 26

Laurent-Perrier

Champagne house founded in 1812

As mentioned on the labels of Laurent-Perrier bottles, the champagne house has existed since 1812. It was founded in Tours-sur-Marne (Marne department) by André-Michel Pierlot, a Champagne wine merchant. He bought a few grapevines between the terroirs of the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs and opened up a shop using his own name. When he died, his son Alphonse took the helm of the small family business, managing it for a few years. Later, as he had no children, Alphonse Pierlot left everything to his faithful cellar master, Eugène Laurent, in 1881.

Eugène saw the huge potential of the little House Pierlot and started to invest in it. He acquired smaller local champagne houses as well as more grapevines (in Tours-sur-Marne, Bouzy and Ambonnay). He also supervised the complete renovation of the estate, digging a huge wine cellar underneath it. Unfortunately, Eugène died prematurely, due to a work incident. His widow, Mathilde-Émilie Perrier, ended up being in charge of the entire wine business. She opted for changing the name of the house, renaming it "Maison Veuve Laurent-Perrier".

Mathilde-Émilie was a strong woman and she possessed an incredible business acumen. Daughter of a prosperous farmer, she turned her former husband's dying company (as Eugène had accumulated quite a few debts) into a thriving one. From 1887 to 1920, she opened three new branches, thus giving birth to the "Veuve Laurent-Perrier et Cie". In parallel, she focused her efforts into international trade. Her champagnes were now sold in other European countries, like Germany and the United Kingdom. Mathilde-Émilie even designed a new product specifically adapted to the British market, when she realized the English weren't too keen on sugar: the "Grand vin sans sucre", the prototype of a Brut Nature Champagne.

When that great lady passed away in 1925, her young daughter Eugénie-Hortense Laurent inherited an array of prosperous companies. Alas, the financial crisis of 1929 hit hard and she could not afford to pay her employees anymore. Now ruined, Eugénie-Hortense was forced to sell the family business to Mrs. Marie-Louise de Nonancourt in 1939. In 1945, Marie-Louise's two sons, Bernard and Maurice, came to help their mother. Bernard de Nonancourt was especially interested in winemaking. So much so that he studied oenology and became president of the champagne house in 1948. Bernard led the family brand toward success, as he came up with the now famous "Laurent-Perrier style", a perfect blend of relentless innovation and creativity.

He designed the "Grand Siècle" cuvée in 1959, as well. A grand cru champagne that instantly became the house's trademark, symbolizing prestige and excellence. Later, in 1981, Laurent-Perrier released its "Ultra Brut" cuvée, in homage of the sugar-free wine made by Mathilde-Émilie Perrier. It was another resounding success. In 1983, Bernard founded the Laurent-Perrier Group. The year he died, in 2010, his two daughters Alexandra Pereyre de Nonancourt and Stéphanie Meneux de Nonancourt, became the managers of the brand, with the help of their cellar master Michel Fauconnet. Today, Laurent-Perrier owns more than 150 hectares of vineyard and produces up to 12 millions of bottles per year. 70% of its income come from exports, as the Laurent-Perrier champagne is sold in 120 countries.

Discover the Champagne from the House Laurent-Perrier.