1988 Brut Grande Cuvée Rosé Alexandra (Magnum)

I was thrilled with the Champagnes I tasted at Laurent-Perrier with Chef de Caves Michel Fauconnet and Group Chairman Stéphane Dalyac. These new and upcoming releases are positively stellar. The flagship remains Grand Siècle, a NV blend of three vintages. For the first time since it was first released in 1959, the Grand Siècle is now identified by a specific numbered edition, which makes it possible to compare releases. That also means I am now comfortable reviewing the wine, as consumers know exactly what they are getting. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see where the market goes for Grand Siècle. Krug is an interesting case study, as the Grande Cuvée went from having inconsistent market presence and unstable pricing to a highly allocated Champagne, for the first time in its history, after the introduction of the Editions. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the current release of the entry-level NV Brut La Cuvée, the NV Cuvée Rosé (magnum) and the first edition of a new wine, the Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs, which is a blend of fruit from Cramant, Avize, Chouilly and Oiry. All are NV Champagnes with no disgorgement date, so, following my longstanding policy, I won’t review them here. Hopefully Laurent-Perrier will add this information (or some other unique identifier) in the future as the wines are really quite lovely. The Blanc de Blancs is especially of note.