Laborde Brut Champagne Blanc de Blancs "Perpétuelle" NV

92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "Delphine Laborde and her husband, Pierre-Emmanuel (originally from Burgundy), work together in the vineyards and cellars and their first wines are being released this year. Farming is organic, the vins clairs are fermented with native yeasts and given an extended élevage, with their inaugural Perpétuelle Blanc de Blancs from the base year of 2019, but including forty percent reserve wines from the solera the couple started in 2018. It was disgorged in October of 2022 and finished with a dosage of seven grams per liter. The wine offers up a lovely and refined bouquet of apple, pear, fresh almond, lovely chalky minerality, bread dough and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, elegant and full-bodied, with lovely focus and grip, excellent depth at the core, fine mineral undertow, elegant mousse and a long, seamlessly balanced and complex finish. This is excellent Blanc de Blancs, with a unique soil signature from the limestone of the village of Nogent l’Abbesse. Fine juice from a husband and wife team that are clearly going places! 2023-2040. (Jul/Aug 2023)"

A new project from Delphine Laborde, who took over her family’s holdings in Nogent L’Abesse just east of Reims. Her 12 years in the cellars of Bollinger and Veuve Clicquot gave her the tools and experience to create this tart and creamy cuvée. Meyer lemon, dried apricot, sweetgrass and medium toast. 100% Chardonnay with 60% from the 2019 vintage and 40% from the perpétuelle reserve, 30 months on the lees with a dosage of 7g/L. (250 cases produced)