NV Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Brut No. 25

Blend of 2008, 2007 and 2006. Disgorged June 2021. 12 years' ageing on the lees in bottle. Tightly wound with a fine coil of subtle champagne flavours round a core of citrus. Wonderful tension with a certain lightness. Really complex. And fantastic persistence. A luxurious aperitif. (JR)

The NV Champagne Grand Siecle Grand Cuvée No. 25 is composed of the 2008, 2007, and 2006 vintages, from nine Grand Crus, and has 7 grams per liter dosage. It is only the second time in Laurent-Perrier’s history that this the cuvée was produced from consecutive vintages. This is the first and most complete of the three expressions I tasted in Tours-sur-Marne in September, as it strikes remarkable balance between richness and tension. The nose is elegant in its ripeness, with perfumed layers of white flowers, honey, and sweet pastry. Meanwhile, the palate is compact, racy, and focused. It all comes together with great length and a long finish. Drink 2024-2044.

A blend of the 2008, 2007 and 2006 vintages, with fully 55% deriving from 2008, Laurent-Perrier's NV Grand Siècle N°25 is coming into its own today, bursting from the glass with scents of nectarine, pear, orange oil and confit citrus mingled with notions of buttery pastry, brioche, iodine, dried white flowers and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, with a fleshy core of fruit girdled by racy acids and animated by a pretty pinpoint mousse, it's seamless and harmonious, concluding with a long, penetrating finish.