L-P launch disgorged-to-order bicentenary special

Laurent-Perrier launched a limited release prestige cuvée in London last night to celebrate the Champagne house’s bicentenary.

A magnum of Grand Siècle Reserve being poured at Claridge’s during the Champagne launch

Called Grand Siècle Les Reserves, the multi-vintage blend has been bottled in magnums and jeroboams only, and incorporates wines from the 1990, 1993 and 1995 harvests.

Poured for the first time at the Claridge’s Hotel at an intimate event comprising longstanding customers and “friends” of Laurent-Perrier, including celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh, the new prestige cuvée is on allocation, although production figures aren’t being disclosed.

Despite the ripe nature of the 1990 vintage and the age of the base wines, the Champagne has a surprisingly youthful and fresh character which can be partly ascribed to the fact the blend was disgorged just three months ago, according to David Hesketh MW, managing director of Laurent-Perrier UK.

“We wanted to demonstrate the lightness and freshness of Laurent-Perrier, even with our older Champagnes,” he explained when speaking to the drinks business at the launch event, which ran from 18.12 to 20.12 to commemorate the Champagne’s 200 years since its foundation in 1812.

The jeroboams (but not the magnums) will be sold exclusively in Selfridges in the UK, and will, in a first for the Champagne house, be disgorged to order.

Meanwhile, Hesketh said that Laurent-Perrier would continue its association with garden design and would be again sponsoring a garden at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

The garden at the famous May-time event will be designed by Ulf Nordfjell from Sweden, creator of The Daily Telegraph Garden in 2009.