Founded in 1812 in the village of Tours-sur-Marne, France, by wine merchant André-Michel Pierlot, Laurent-Perrier is an independently owned Champagne house and the second-biggest Champagne brand in the world with respect to sale, according to the company.
Pierlot’s son, Alphonse, left the house to his cellar master Eugene Laurent, whose widow, Mathilde Emilie Perrier, took over after he died. She added her name to the brand alongside his, and Laurent‑Perrier as we know it was born.
Perrier’s daughter eventually sold it to the Nonancourt family, who continue to own and run it today. Sisters Stéphanie Meneux de Nonancourt and Alexandra Pereyre de Nonancourt are at the helm, making them leaders of the largest female-owned Champagne house
Laurent-Perrier wines are produced mostly with Chardonnay grapes, with the exception of its Cuvée Rosé and Alexandra Rosé, which are made with Pinot Noir.
According to Laurent-Perrier’s U.S. President Michelle DeFeo, many Champagne houses regard their vintage expressions as their most high-end wines.
“We’re different because for us, the Grand Siècle, which blends three exceptional vintages instead of highlighting a single year, is one of our most prestigious cuvées,” she says. “We believe that blending three exceptional vintages creates the perfect year, one that nature could never provide.”
Grand Siècle aside, Laurent-Perrier is also notable for its commitment to environmentally friendly winemaking and has been for more than the last three decades—well before sustainability was a trend.
“It’s not enough for us to just make fantastic Champagne—we want to make sure that we’re doing it in a way that’s as least harmful to the earth as possible,” DeFeo says.
The Items
Laurent-Perrier offers eight expressions of Champagne. They include the Harmony Demi-Sec, aged three years, La Cuvée, its flagship and most popular wine, the Ultra Brut, Blanc de Blancs, a vintage called Brut Millésimé and a Cuvée Rose. The Grand Siècle and Alexandra Rosé are the highest end of the line.
The Prices
The Champagnes range from US$74.99 for the Harmony Demi-Sec to US$499.99 for the Alexandra Rosé. The La Cuvée is $99.99 while the Grand Siècle retails for US$299.99.
What’s the Good?
Lauren-Perrier’s dedication to green winegrowing has earned it two sustainable viticulture certifications: Viticulture Durable en Champagne and HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale).The company holds the highest level of HVE certification because it met more than 200 requirements when it comes to practices such as biodiversity, herbicide use, and water management.
In terms of biodiversity, for example, Laurent-Perrier’s vineyard welcomes a variety of birds, insects, mammals, and plants, as the vines rely on them to act as a natural pest control and for soil support.
The vineyards also aren’t treated with chemicals and instead, harmful pests are addressed with methods such as mating disruption..
“We’ve found that mating disruption is an effective tool to eradicate pests. This includes releasing sex pheromones that the female emits to attract males, which reduces the number of matings,” DeFeo says.
Also, the water used at Laurent-Perrier’s winery in Tours-sur-Marne in Champagne is treated at its own water treatment facility and recycled. Tank cleaning is performed in a closed-loop method to reduce overall water consumption.Laurent-Perrier’s newest winery, finished in 2018, was designed with energy conservation in mind and features large windows to let in plenty of natural light. It also relies on gravity flow where wastewater runs from a higher to lower elevation naturally instead of using a pump that requires electricity.
In addition, the cases and inserts for the Champagnes are made from recycled paper while all other packaging is 100% recyclable. The wines are also vegan, meaning no animal products, such as egg whites, are used in the fining process.
DeFeo notes that the house set a goal more than a decade ago to have nothing from its winemaking processes end up in a landfill and achieved it in 2018. “Our pomace—which is the mixture of grape skins, stems and seeds leftover after we press our grapes—is either sent to a distillery or transformed into cosmetic products,” she says.
What’s Next
Lauren-Perrier plans to continue to be innovative in the sustainable winemaking space. “For example, we’re now [using] a new electric robot that weeds and mows the rows between our vines. Adopting this new technology will further reduce our carbon emissions and limit soil compaction,” Defeo says.
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