Among Champagne’s many different personalities, there is one that stands out for its natural style or you might say its "nudity". The mark of Laurent-Perrier and the sumptuous midnight blue and silver Ultra-Brut labelling are tokens of this Champagne’s extremely pure feel on the palate, creating a sensory experience quite unlike any other,
Among Champagne’s many different personalities, there is one that stands out for its natural style or you might say its "nudity". Called the Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Ultra Brut, this Champagne, with its distinctive midnight blue and silver labelling, belonged in a category that was not even officially recognised at the time of its release in 1981.
For François Philippoteaux who created it with Bernard de Nonancourt and Alain Terrier (cellar master, 1975-2004), Laurent- Perrier Ultra Brut is a Champagne in a class of its own. What sets it apart is its precision and its authenticity. Made only with grapes from exceptionally ripe years, this exceptional cuvée is distinguished by the total absence of any dosage at the point of disgorgement.
It is especially noted for its crystalline freshness, its liveliness on the palate and its exquisitely fine bubbles, a fine accompaniment for shellfish, plain cooked fish and oysters ... Perfect for summer. This is a Champagne for those with an appetite for truth — epicureans for whom only the purest of products will do. There are some indeed who think this a most agreeable accompaniment to a fine cigar ...
An Ultra-Brut Champagne may seem an original idea, but it is not new. At the end of the 1800s Mathilde‑Emilie Perrier, widow of Eugène Laurent, launched an unusual Champagne named "Grand Vin Sans Sucre". A bold move at a time when Champagne was almost exclusively drunk with the pudding course and largely appreciated for its liqueur-like qualities. Yet Laurent-Perrier’s "Sans Sucre" Champagne featured on the wine lists of the major Paris restaurants and was certainly the most expensive, only ordered by informed Champagne lovers in search of new experiences. It was in 1975, at the time of nouvelle cuisine, that the House had the idea to relaunch this range.
Bernard de Nonancourt, Alain Terrier and I were talking in the tasting room at Tours-sur-Marne, thinking of a wine that might feed the imagination. Since we had fabulous matured cuvées at our disposal, we reinvented this dosage-free wine to go with modern dishes. And in 1981, the first cuvée was launched
Changes in eating habits followed naturally from new food trends.
Laurent-Perrier’s Ultra Brut thus fell within the context of the "sociology of taste" — a new way of looking at ideas and forms of artistic expression. Champagne was part of those paradoxically titillating, spiritual and aesthetic dimensions that play on our sensory awareness. Far from dulling the senses, Laurent-Perrier’s Ultra Brut possesses a liveliness that sharpens our perception of the flavours on show.