NV Laurent Perrier Blanc de Blanc

Always producing wines built on a base of Chardonnay, which is typically the majority grape, Laurent-Perrier had never produced a wine that was 100% Chardonnay until 2019, when they finally had the components and decided to make it non-dosage. A bright yellow sherbet color, the NV Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature is one of the first non-dosage releases for the house. Medium-bodied, it is powdery and fresh, yet retains a pure concentration of white citrus, lemon peel, salted pineapple, lemon-lime, and meringue notes. It’s chalky, with an energetic, frothy mousse and a lively feel throughout the palate, carried by mineral drive and the influence of Tours-sur-Marne, Villers-Marmery, and Rilly, which give the wine its versatility. It shows bitter citrus in a clean and crisp style, making it a very versatile Blanc de Blancs. They do not produce this cuvée every year; it comes from higher-maturity vintages with lower acidity, so it isn’t a regular cuvée in the range. It incorporates a large proportion of reserve wine, with 60% based on 2016 and 40% on 2014. Drink 2026-2040.

All Chardonnay from Premier and Grand Cru villages. Smoky nose with lots of acidity but no austerity, although it's less rich than Grand Siècle. Very neat and finely etched but with sufficient fruit in the middle. A little suaver than many Blan de Blancs and with more body so it could be drunk with food as well as being served as an apetifit. (JR)

Launched in 2019. Exceptional yeasty nose, really doubles-down on the classic champagne characteristic. Genuinely complex with not just bread, toast and mushroom but salinity and minerality as well. The fruit is tight and tart but not underripe, with a bone-dry but not austere finish. Long persistence that befits a champagne at this level. (RH)