Tasting
After the tour in the cellar, we came back up to do a tasting in order to walk through the cuvées of the house. The house style is all about Chardonnay and is focused on blending. With the right blending you do not need to add as much dosage is the philosophy of the house. The cellar master, Michel Fauconnet, is the third cellar master of the house and has spent his entire career at Laurent Perrier.
The tasting included the Ultra Brut, La Cuvée, Cuvée Rosé, Vintage 2008 and Grand Siècle No. 24. The Ultra Brut is the first zero dosage champagne that became available which means that there is no sugar added. This is a tough style to make and the focus is on the quality and the ripeness of the grapes that are used in the blend in order to find the balance of low acidity and maturity. The blend is 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir. This would pair perfectly with sushi.
We then went on to taste La Cuvée. La Cuvée is made with the cuvée or the juice of the first press which is the finest. The blend has over 50% Chardonnay, +30% Pinot Noir and 10 - 20% Meunier. It is fruity and delicate and can hold up to chicken.