Expected release in the UK and US in October 2023. The usual tri-vintage blend, in this case 65% 2012, 25% 2008 and 10% 2007. About 70 different ingredients from eight grands crus, of which, as usual, the dominant grape is Chardonnay, comprising 58% of the blend. The Chardonnay came from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant and Avize, while the 42% Pinot Noir was from Laurent-Perrier's home town of Tours-sur-Marne plus Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzy. T he blend was bottled just after the 2013 harvest and this bottle, from the first of several disgorgements, has a dosage of 7 g/l. One of the 'immutable principles' of Grand Siècle is that it should be aged on lees for at least 10 years but market pressure (fuelled by the new phenomenon of investing in champagne) seems to have reduced the ageing period slightly. The wine was presented to me by new chef de cave Maximilien Bernardeau, who says he had experience of making all sorts of champagne from all over the region when working in his previous lab job. He claims that this wide-ranging exposure to all sorts of champagne happily allowed him to decide that his favourite style of champagne was the same as Laurent-Perrier's! Powerful aroma of orange peel and something in the putty/chalk spectrum. It somehow manages to be both tight yet approachable, dense in terms of flavour concentration yet filigree in terms of texture. As usual, it's so Chardonnay! Overriding citrus character and quite amazingly long, a mouthful tingling on the palate for minutes not seconds. Enormous finesse. Massive pleasure. This would make the most luxurious aperitif. Michel Fauconnet, having welcomed the new chef de cave in January 2023, must be especially proud of this wine. (JR)

58% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir. Smoky, oatmeal, subtle dairy character behind the wine. Toasty and rich with long, intense baked-apple fruit on the palate. Very grand, expressive, rich and lengthy. (RH)