Simon Field MW joins longstanding chef de cave Michel Fauconnet at the launch of Laurent-Perrier Héritage.
Michel Fauconnet is one of Champagne’s more enigmatic characters. A fluent English speaker who prefers to present in French (unlike most of today’s willingly urbane chefs de cave), he has been in situ since 1973 and remains to this day, clearly with the full backing of the familial powers that be, most recently Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt, the ambassadorial face of the fourth generation of Bernard’s lineage. When asked about his plans, Fauconnet shrugs: “This is my life’s métier. And in any case, practice makes perfect.” It is hard to disagree when one assesses what has been achieved over the years.
Technical brilliance, attention to detail, and a highly creative mind have all played their part. Laurent-Perrier has so often been at the vanguard, ideologically speaking. One need only think of the introduction, as far back as 1976, of its Ultra Brut or even cogitate on the minutiae of Grand Siècle, a Multi-Vintage deluxe cuvée that was stylistically prescient in so many ways. And now to complete the triptych of blended wines (La Cuvée Brut Non Vintage being the third component), we have the release of Laurent-Perrier Héritage, which again subtly recalibrates the dial.
Laurent-Perrier Héritage: Beyond the base
It does this by eschewing the significance of the base year and focusing exclusively on “older” reserve wines, all of which are afforded primacy in terms of their contribution to the blend. All four
This Article was originally published on World of Fine Wine
