Deep golden robe with amber glints; the bubble, after eighteen years resting on lees, has become creamy. The nose blends honeyed pear, ripe peach and buttery brioche, with that hint of smoke and toasted almond that comes from long years in the cellar. The palate is full-bodied, generous — 2006 was a…
THE CUVÉES OF MAISON LAURENT-PERRIER
Deep golden robe with amber glints; the bubble, after eighteen years resting on lees, has become creamy. The nose blends honeyed pear, ripe peach and buttery brioche, with that hint of smoke and toasted almond that comes from long years in the cellar. The palate is full-bodied, generous — 2006 was a warm year, with rich grapes —, but the May 2025 disgorgement has revived the wine: the discreet dosage of 6 g/L leaves a clean finish, on baked apple and hazelnut. Serve between 10 and 12 °C, in large glasses, with a meal; in magnum, it will still be able to wait several years.
A contrasting year: cold winter without damage, mild spring, scorching and stormy July, grey and rainy August, then a harvest spread from 7 to 25 September, abundant, of good but uneven ripeness — hence the importance of selection. The wine blends in equal parts chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs (Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger) and pinot noir from the Montagne de Reims (Verzy, Verzenay, Mailly, Louvois, Bouzy); of these crus, only the cuvée, the first juice from the press, enters the blend. Bottled in magnum only, it rested on lees for nearly eighteen years before being disgorged on 15 May 2025 and dosed at 6 g/L. It is delivered in its individual wooden case, marked "Réserve: Millésime 2006".
Founded in 1812 in Tours-sur-Marne, Laurent-Perrier has remained a family-owned, independent house, led since 1939 by the de Nonancourt family. Bernard de Nonancourt, who ran it from 1948, gave it its style — freshness, elegance — and three signature savoir-faire that still set it apart today: the blending of reserve wines, the maceration of pinot noir and the non-dosed style, with the Ultra Brut from 1981 onwards.
Laurent-Perrier rarely releases vintages — less than one year in two, when the market releases vintages more than three years in four. This 2006 is part of a trio of magnums, alongside the 2002 and 2004, which the house kept on lees in its cellars until spring 2025 before disgorging them: a rare opportunity to taste a Laurent-Perrier vintage with the perspective of nearly two decades.
The brioche and toasted almond of an eighteen-year-old champagne echo the warm Comté of the gougère.
The wine's creamy texture matches that of the risotto; the forest-floor notes of the morels extend those of the long ageing.
A full-bodied, mature wine with a hazelnut finish: truffled poultry is the pairing of a great champagne at its peak.
Philippe B.
Verified customer reviewA 2006 at perfect maturity
Disgorged in May 2025, opened in September: it was the moment. Brioche, pear, a creamy mousse and a clean finish. Served with chicken and morels, the magnum was gone in one dinner for six. The wooden case is very handsome.
Anne-Laure G.
Verified customer reviewThe magnum for big occasions
Bought to celebrate my daughter’s twentieth birthday – she was born in 2006. Mature, rich champagne, honey and toast, which surprised everyone with its freshness. Impeccable packaging.
Thomas V.
Verified customer reviewRare and generous
This vintage is no longer easy to find, let alone as a recently disgorged magnum. Generous, fleshy wine, perhaps a little opulent as an aperitif, but at the table it’s a marvel. Price justified by the rarity.
