Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne 2012

96 points Bettane & Desseauve Guide (2023).

95 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$100 list] A vintage that marks the producer's 200th anniversary, the Champagne is ripe with mature white fruits. It is an impressive wine that has richness alongside a tight mineral texture. Drink now. Alcohol 12%. (Dec 2023)"

95 points Falstaff Guide: "Light golden yellow, silver reflections, very fine, persistent mousseux. Delicate notes of brioche and yellow ringlets, a hint of orange zest and blossom honey, delicate meadow herbs, can stand a larger glass. Full-bodied, fine white stone fruit, finesse-rich acid structure, delicate hints of pineapple and mango, underpinned by fine minerality, an elegant food companion with development potential. (10/6/23)"

94-95 points Essi Avellan, MW: "A Laurent-Perrier Vintage is one of the Champagne world's safest bets. Therefore, there is no reason why the great 2012 should be anything but outstanding. It is a classic 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with the former originating in the Côte des Blancs communes of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant and Chouilly, and the latter from Montagne de Reims's Bouzy, Aÿ, Verzy, Mailly and Rilly-la-Montagne. The nose is opening up beautifully, with sweet spicy tones and classy toasty whiffs complexing the radiant and intense fruit. A fruit salad in all its sweet nuances, but there are also some deeper and darker shades of aromatic wood and berries. Really intense on the palate, too, simply bursting with fruit. The texture is viscous, almost oily; due to the phenomenal concentration, it comes across almost winey. The mousse is soft. Despite the beautiful acid line and citric quality, the overall impression remains calm and mellow. This will take time beautifully. (Aug 2022)"

94 points Sarah Mayo (The Wine Independent): "Light gold with very fine, persistent bubbles, the Brut Millésimé 2012 is 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir aged ten years on lees and finished with an eight gram per liter. Redolent of white peach, Chantecler apple, toasted brioche, vanilla bean, and honey brickle, the medium to full-bodied palate is richly textured around a plush red fruit core and balanced by stimulating and bright acid freshness through a long finish with a kiss of lemon peel bitterness. Alcohol 12%. Drink: 2023-2040. (11/8/23)"

94 points James Suckling: "Elegant array of lemons, slate, biscuits, oyster shells, croissants and brioche. Precise and focused on the palate, with sharp acidity and tight, fine bubbles. Pure and youthful for now. 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir. Dosage 8g/L. Drink or hold. (8/8/22)"

93 points Yohan Castaing (Decanter): "2012 is the 30th opus of this cuvée. Since 1938, and the acquisition of Laurent-Perrier by the Nonancourt family, it has been crafted to be a subtle balance between ‘the house style and the vintage style,’ according to Michel Fauconnet, Laurent-Perrier’s chef de caves. The Pinot Noir, which comprises half the blend and which Fauconnet describes as very ‘powerful’, is sourced from five villages: Bouzy, Verzy, Aÿ, Mailly, and for the first time in the history of this cuvée, Rilly-la-Montagne, which is not a grand cru village. The Chardonnay, which makes up the other half of the blend, is sourced from the villages of Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant and Chouilly. ‘The year 2012 was characterised by successive climatic accidents. There was a major winter frost as well as a spring frost, not to mention 10 or so episodes of hail, causing significant damage. A hailstorm on the seventh of June caused extensive damage in various villages,’ said Laurent-Perrier. In spite of this, the dry and sunny summer brought about a beautiful maturity. With an energetic yet bright bouquet, the Laurent-Perrier 2012 possesses gorgeous aromas of orchard fruits, herbs, lemon and spices, with a hint of menthol. Calcareous on the palate, the structure is medium- to full-bodied, with a laser-like texture and a long and penetrating finish. It is undeniably one of the frank successes of the vintage, and while it has no need for further ageing, it may surprise us even further in the future. Drinking Window: 2022-2034. (Mar 2022)"

93 points Tom Hewson (TimAtkin.com): "50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Laurent-Perrier vintage always offers a clear-eyed view of the character of a year, and 2012 is no different. After the high-wire 2008, 2012 shows plenty of fleshy and appealing golden fruit - mango and apricot - cut with ripe grapefruit Chardonnay and gentle coffee and pale bakery richness. This will certainly improve in the cellar, although that up-front ripeness, almost roundness, means it's no crime not to wait. (Dec 2022)"

93 points Wine Spectator: "[$95 list] A harmonious Champagne, with a fine and persistent mousse on the palate, this layers a rich note of marzipan with flavors of white cherry, preserved lemon, biscuit and a refreshing streak of salinity that lingers on the mouthwatering finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2032. (12/15/22)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2012 Laurent-Perrier Brut Millésime is composed from a fifty-fifty blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. The nose is bright and very elegant in profile, offering up scents of apple, pear, bread dough, chalky soil tones, fresh almond, dried flowers and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and very well balanced, with a fine core of fruit, lovely soil inflection, a fine spine of acidity, pinpoint bubbles and a long, still quite youthful finish. I would love to give this excellent wine four or five years in the cellar to really let its secondary layers blossom. It will age long and gracefully. 2024-2060. (Mar/Apr 2024)"

Producer notes: "50% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant, Chouilly; 50% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims: Bouzy, Ay, Verzy, Mailly, Rilly-la-Montagne. The wine is white gold in colour with a fine sparkle. A flowery nose of great complexity, with notes of citrus and white peaches. A wine that is very present with a lively attack and great finesse with good minerality and notes of grapefruit on the finish. The Vintage 2012 pairs well with seafood and noble fish as well as with poultry or veal. This wine sublimates hard pressed cheeses such as a young Comté or a Beaufort."