Deep old gold hue, brilliant, with a bubble that has become creamy after more than twenty years on lees. The nose opens on honey and dried fruit — toasted hazelnut, dried apricot, candied orange peel — then on toasted bread and chalk. The palate has the depth of a harvest picked at high ripeness:…
THE CUVÉES OF MAISON LAURENT-PERRIER
Deep old gold hue, brilliant, with a bubble that has become creamy after more than twenty years on lees. The nose opens on honey and dried fruit — toasted hazelnut, dried apricot, candied orange peel — then on toasted bread and chalk. The palate has the depth of a harvest picked at high ripeness: full-bodied, almost wine-like, yet it retains a backbone of freshness from the Côte des Blancs chardonnay, and the 6 g/L dosage merely rounds off the long, saline finish, with notes of almond. A meditation champagne, to be opened between 10 and 12°C in large glasses, and allowed to open up.
2002: a vintage year without major mishaps — a mild winter, little rain, spring frosts localised to 38 villages, full flowering from 14 to 17 June in very favourable conditions, and unexpected sunshine at the start of the harvest that made up for the generous rainfall of late August. A good-quality harvest, with high ripeness. The wine blends equal parts Côte des Blancs chardonnay (Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly) and Montagne de Reims pinot noir (Verzy, Mailly, Ambonnay, Verzenay, Aÿ, Bouzy), using only the cuvée, the first pressing juice. Bottled exclusively in magnum, it rested for more than twenty years on lees before being disgorged on 15 May 2025 and dosed at 6 g/L. Individual wooden case marked "Reserve: 2002 Vintage".
Laurent-Perrier was born in 1812 in Tours-sur-Marne and has never left. A wine merchant with no heir, André-Michel Pierlot bequeathed it to his cellar master Eugène Laurent; his widow, Mathilde-Emilie Perrier, made it the Veuve Laurent-Perrier in 1887; Marie-Louise de Nonancourt bought it back in 1939, and her son Bernard, appointed managing director at twenty-eight in 1948, raised it among the great Champagne houses. Today it is one of the few houses to remain family-owned and independent, faithful to three areas of expertise: blending reserve wines, macerating pinot noir, and producing non-dosed cuvées.
Releasing a vintage is an exception at Laurent-Perrier — less than one year in two. Keeping these vintages on lees for more than twenty years, then disgorging them in magnum, is another: this 2002, disgorged on 15 May 2025 along with the 2004 and 2006, is the oldest of the trio, and the finest testament to what patience does to a great blend of chardonnay and pinot noir.
Toasted hazelnut and honey from the wine against a long-matured Comté: the same register of maturity, with cured ham adding the salt.
The undergrowth notes of a twenty-year-old champagne and the umami of mushrooms: an obvious pairing.
The almost wine-like texture of the 2002 and its saline finish envelop the veal sweetbread browned in butter.
Jean-Marc F.
Verified customer reviewA champagne for contemplation
More than twenty years on lees and disgorged last year: the wine is ample, almost vinous, on dried fruit and honey, with an endless saline finish. To be drunk slowly, from large glasses. Exceptional.
Nathalie C.
Verified customer reviewMy son’s birth vintage
I was looking for a 2002 for his twenty-fourth birthday, in magnum for the party. Found it here, in its wooden case, delivered in three days. The champagne was magnificent, golden, brioche-like, still fresh.
Laurent K.
Verified customer reviewGreat wine, price to match
Nothing to fault in the wine: hazelnut, dried apricot, incredible substance. The price is high, but it’s a 2002 magnum disgorged in 2025 and there won’t be any more. Perfect packaging.
