x
  • Country ranking ?

    538
  • Producer ranking ?

    3
  • Decanting time

    No
  • When to drink

    2020-2035
  • Food Pairing

    Seafood, Salads & Consommes

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

Close

The Story

The idea of Grand Siècle was born from a simple observation: that nature would never provide the perfect oenological year, but that thanks to the art of assemblage, Laurent-Perrier could in fact create it.

Going well beyond rare vintages, Grand Siècle is created choosing not one but three exceptional years which complement each other perfectly. We must then wait for at least 8 years of ageing in our cellars before it can be enjoyed.

The pinnacle of the art of blending, Grand Siècle is the unique expression of the pursuit of excellence in Champagne; it is to ‘blend the best with the best to obtain the best.’

 

In the 17th Century, during the reign of Louis XIV, France enjoyed its most illustrious era. Louis XIV became known as the "Sun King" for his benevolence and his patronage of the Arts, which became the foundation of France's rich artistic heritage. At the Palace of Versailles Louis XIV was the first French King to drink Champagne.

Louis XIV's era became known as the Grand Siècle - the "Great Century". Bottled in a replica of a 17th Century bottle evoking the radiance of that period, Laurent-Perrier's prestige cuvées embody luxury, magnificence and elegance fit for a king.

When it came to his prestige cuvée, Bernard de Nonancourt decided to highlight two of Champagne's traditional realms of proficiency: the blending of different crus and different vintages. Grand Siècle is the epitome of Champagne cuvées, as it blends complementary wines from Laurent-Perrier's very best growths and most successful vintage years.

Grand Siècle is made with a pinot noir and chardonnay blend, with the latter being slightly dominant. Twelve of the most prestigious villages supply these grapes; all of them classified at 100% Grands Crus such as Ambonnay, Verzenay, Mailly, Avize, Cramant, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Within the vineyards of these villages, only the very best plots are selected, as are the finest musts from the pressings. The blended wine is then aged during the second fermentation on the yeast for approximately five years.

It has a bright color, with a brilliant yellow hue. Its subtle aromas of honey, hazelnuts, grilled almonds and brioche, make this the perfect companion for refined dishes. It pairs just as well with poultry and truffles as it does with veal and morel mushrooms.

Grand Siécle is an enigmatic champagne. Laurent-Perrier’s prestige wine, created by Bernard de Nonancourt, is cloaked in mystery. The origin of the grapes, the mixing ratio of the different varieties, and the age and production volumes of the wines are closely-guarded business secrets. What secrets does the prestige champagne, Grand Siècle, hide, and is the wine whose name honours the great epoch Laurent-Perrier’s best weapon in the face of increasing competition?

It seems that the microclimate in Champagne is bad for men, since many houses have had strong champagne widows, whose husbands have died untimely deaths. One of these houses, whose history perhaps embodies that trend more than any of the others, is Laurent-Perrier. The history of the house has been written by Mathilde Emilie Laurent-Perrier as well as Marie-Louise de Nonancourt. Now two sisters from the owner’s family, Alexandra and Stéphanie de Nonancourt, sit in the management group. It is no coincidence that Bernard de Nonancourt has chosen to produce champagnes with feminine elegance.

I set off from the champagne capital, Reims, towards a little village called Tours-sur-Marne. The cellars of Laurent-Perrier have been located here, at the crossing of the three main winery areas of Champagne, since its foundation in 1812. It is almost as if the village equals Laurent-Perrier, so easily is the impressive main building of the house found. Before I turn in to the yard, I notice a huge pile of soil next to the house. I wonder what they are going to build here.

We start by seeing the production facilities. We walk through the inner court towards a small loading dock. The small, one-truck dock looks like a relic, but our host assures us:
- Believe it or not, all eight million bottles of our yearly sales are sent off to the world from this dock. Our facilities have become hopelessly confined, and that is why we have a big investment project under way, to be finished during the coming year.
We go and see what the huge pile of soil is hiding behind it. Impressively large production facilities that are built mainly underground are under construction. Soon Laurent-Perrier will be able to say goodbye to the confined work premises. The massive investment projects alone reveal the huge success of Laurent-Perrier’s recent history.

Close

Vintage 1996

Up to this point 1996 has been considered a fantastic vintage which produced classic wines; the best since 1990. A long, dry summer produced grapes of record ripeness with record acidity. Some, including myself, question how the 1996s are aging. The wines are generally characterized by a distinctive rather lemony acidity and very good attack, but some wines now seem terribly austere, while others already seem dangerously short of fruit. None of the subsequent vintages are quite as distinctive as 1996, which in the more successful cases should almost certainly be drunk after the 1999s.

Close

Information

Origin

Tours-sur-Marne, Champagne

Other wines from this producer

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature

Brut L-P

Brut Millésimé

Cuvée Alexandra

Cuvée Alexandra Rosé

Cuvée Rosé Brut

Cuvée Rosé LP

Demi-Sec

Grand Siècle ’La Cuvée’ (1997/96/95)

Grand Siècle 'Les Réserves' No.17 (1995/1993/1990)

Grand Siècle ’Lumiere du Millénaire’

Grand Siècle No. 10 (1976/75/73)

Grand Siècle No. 11 (1979/76/75)

Grand Siècle No. 1 (1955/53/52)

Grand Siècle No. 11 ’La Cuvée’ (1979/76/75)

Grand Siècle No. 12 (1982/79/76)

Grand Siècle No. 13 (1985/82/79)

Grand Siècle No. 14 ’La Cuvée’ (1988/85/82)

Grand Siècle No. 15 (1990/88/85)

Grand Siècle No. 16 ’La Cuvée’ (1993/90/88)

Grand Siècle No. 17 ’La Cuvée’ (1995/93/90)

Grand Siècle No. 18 (1996/95/93)

Grand Siècle No. 19 ’La Cuvée’ (1997/96/95)

Grand Siècle No. 20 (1999/97/96)

Grand Siécle No. 21 (2002,1999,1997)

Grand Siécle No. 22 (2004, 2002, 1999)

Grand Siècle No. 23 (2006, 2004, 2002)

Grand Siècle No. 24 (2007, 2006, 2004)

Grand Siècle No.25

Grand Siècle No. 3 ’La Cuvée’ (1959/61/64)

Grand Siècle No. 7 (1970/69/66)

Grand Siècle No. 8 ’La Cuvée’ (1973/70/69)

Grand Siècle No. 9 (1975/73/70)

Harmony Demi-Sec

La Cuvée

La Cuvée Brut

Les Réserves Grand Siècle ’Cuvée 571J’

Millésimé

Rare

Ultra Brut

Highlights

Latest news

TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS 100 BEST CHAMPAGNES 2023 / by Champagne Magazine
WINERY NEWS Quinta do Noval / QUINTA DO NOVAL DECLARES 2021 VINTAGE PORT Christian Seely, Managing Director of Quinta do Noval,  more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS BWW 2023 - The Best Wine of the World -competition has started! / The 1000 Most Voted Wines
WINERY NEWS Blankiet Estate / Wine Personality of the month!  Claude Blankiet / Proprietor of Blankiet Estate /Yountville,  more ...
WINERY NEWS Méo-Camuzet / The 2020 a very special vintage, which has been bottled, after a few logistical disorders (see   more ...
WINERY NEWS Château Lascombes / Ornellaia's Axel Heinz Will Become CEO of Château Lascombes Gaylon Lawrence and Carlton  more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS Château Cos d’Estournel vertical / by Izak Litwar
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS TASTINGBOOK “TASTED” AND RATED 100 TOP WINES FROM BORDEAUX 2022 VINTAGE! / The assessment has been made by the tastingbook's artificial intelligence.
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS Novidades in the Port world: / 50 year old Tawny and 50 year old White Port
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS CHAMPAGNE -HALL OF FAME 2022 / by Champagne Magazine and Tastingbook
WINERY NEWS Gaja / Vintage Report 2022 The 2022 vintage was characterized by a constant, wide drought and by an incr  more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS Gaja's Idda wine project in Sicily? / Tasting with Giovanni Gaja
WINERY NEWS Weingut Robert Weil / A milestone in the history of the Rheingau Riesling dry! 98/100 Points!   "Produced   more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS NEW: TASTINGBOOK PRESENTATION AND INSTRUCTIONS! / tastingbook.info
WINERY NEWS Torbreck / JAMES SUCKLING | OCTOBER 2022 BY TORBRECK VINTNERS By James Suckling, October 2022 www  more ...
WINERY NEWS Bodegas Roda / Bodegas RODA launches its first white wine: RODA I Blanco   The winery from Barrio de   more ...
WINE NEWS: Rare Rose 2012 / Rare Champagne releases Rare Rosé Millésime 2012 & Magnum Millésime 2006   more ...
WINERY NEWS Château Lascombes / Ornellaia's Axel Heinz Will Become CEO of Château Lascombes Gaylon Lawrence and Carlton  more ...

Wine Moments

Here you can see wine moments from tastingbook users. or to see wine moments from your world.
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register
BWW 2023 - Best Wine of the World competition

VOTE NOW FOR YOUR FAVOURITE WINES FOR THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD -TITLE

 

BWW- The Best Wine of the World 2023 -competition

"We believed the opinion of 10,000 consumers or 1,000 professionals to be more correct and more significant than a small group of wine professionals.”

 

BWW-The Best Wine of the World-competition is by far the toughest wine competition on this planet. Unlike any other industry competition, less than 1% of the wines involved will be awarded. 

BWW is also the largest wine competition: The BWW competition 2021 was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com. 21,556 wines received in total 3,569,711 votes from 349,000 wine professionals and wine lovers from 116 countries during the three months voting period.