Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne Grand Siècle No. 26 NV

100 points & '#1 Top 100 Wines of 2023' James Suckling: "This is really something. Electric on the palate. The aromas are so complex with sliced fresh and dried ginger, subtle pie crust, tarte tatin and hints of nutmeg with some salted caramel. Toasted bread, too. Always subtle. The palate is full- to medium-bodied yet hemmed-in with a freshness and balance that draws you back. Savory and vibrant. It's full of energy. Spectacular. Fascinating. Symphonic blend of 2012, 2008 and 2007. 65% of the 2012, 25% of the 2008 and 10% of the 2007. Eight grand cru. Chardonnay 58% and 42% pinot noir. Disgorged February 2023. 10 years on the lees. 7g/L dosage. Drink or hold. (8/7/23)"

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff Guide): "Light yellow-green, silver reflections, fine, lively and persistent mousse. Delicately biscuity-backed fine yellow tropical fruit notes, some mango, apple, brioche and lime zest, fresh inviting bouquet. Taut, elegant, white pomelo fruit nuances, fine fruit sweetness, lively acid arc, full of energy, some ripe pineapple in the finish, remains persistent, lemony supported fruit sweetness on the finish, a juicy food companion, good aging potential. (1/1/23)"

98 points Bettane & Desseauve Guide (2024).

97 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$300 list] Tautly textured, the Champagne is delicious with a poise between white and citrus fruits along with touches of maturity coming through. Drink this magnificent wine now for its great balance and intensity. (Dec 2023)"

96+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The Laurent-Perrier “Grand Siécle” Iteration No. 26 is composed from the vintages of 2012, 2008 and 2007. Sixty-five percent of the blend is 2012, twenty-five percent 2008 and ten percent 2007. The final cépages worked out to be fifty-eight percent chardonnay and forty-two percent pinot noir, all from grand cru villages. The wine was aged ten years sur lattes prior to disgorgement. The wine shows beautiful elegance on the nose, wafting from the glass in a complex blend of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, incipient notes of caraway seed, dried flowers and a topnote of gentle smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and beautifully structured, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature, refined mousse and along, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is still a fairly youthful wine and there are other layers of complexity that time will unlock here, if patience can be exercised and the wine allowed to hibernate down in the cellar for five to ten years. That said, it is already so delicious that aging it is going to take serious self-discipline! 2024-2075. (Mar/Apr 2024)"

96 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "A blend of the 2012, 2008 and 2007 vintages, the NV Brut Grand Siècle #26 won't be released for another four or five years, but there is a great deal to anticipate, as it's a stunning young wine in the making. Unfurling in the glass with scents of crisp nectarine, pear and honeyed citrus fruit that mingle with notions of fresh mint, blanched almonds and iodine, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and tightly wound, with broad structural shoulders, tangy acids and a long, intense finish. It's a great Grand Siècle in the making. Drink: 2025-2045. (Apr 2019)"

96 points Tom Hewson (Decanter): "This iteration of Grand Siècle is almost entirely composed of two of Champagne's greatest recent vintages, so expectations are high. The wine more than meets them, tempering the generosity of 2012's fruit – ripe apricots, white peach, clementines and sunny, zesty citrus – with a pitch-perfect streak of 2008 tautness and structure. There are some fleshy, creamy notes of papaya and toasted white sourdough, but everything is as delicately rendered as expected and impeccably shaped, with a sleek, silky mousse. A little more approachable than Itération No. 25, it will welcome extended bottle age rather than demand it. The blend is 58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir from eight grand cru vineyards. 65% is from the 2012 vintage, 35% from 2008 and 10% from 2007. Drinking Window: 2023-2043. (Jun 2023)"

95-96 points Simon Field, MW (The World of Fine Wine): "(58% Ch, 42% PN; disgorged February 2023; dosage 7g/l). How do the ripe 2012 (65 percent) and the austere 2008 (25 percent) get on with one another, ten years down the line? The ripe and flamboyant held in check by the taut, the granitic, the linear? If only it were as simple as that—but maybe it’s just as well that it isn’t, because key here is integration: nectarine, toast, plums, and gingerbread all generous and expressive for sure, but nothing amorphous, awkward, or merely too young. The linear discipline, courtesy of the 2008, buttresses the more gregarious inclinations of the 2012 efficiently and discreetly. As a result, the ensemble is both calm and exciting, both joyful and dignified. The tension thus captured expertly echoes Bernard de Nonancourt’s guiding principles. The structure therefore underwrites the potential to improve yet further."

19.5/20 points Jancis Robinson, MW: "...The usual tri-vintage blend, in this case 65% 2012, 25% 2008 and 10% 2007. About 70 different ingredients from eight grands crus, of which, as usual, the dominant grape is Chardonnay, comprising 58% of the blend. The Chardonnay came from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant and Avize, while the 42% Pinot Noir was from Laurent-Perrier's home town of Tours-sur-Marne plus Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzy. The blend was bottled just after the 2013 harvest and this bottle, from the first of several disgorgements, has a dosage of 7 g/l... Powerful aroma of orange peel and something in the putty/chalk spectrum. It somehow manages to be both tight yet approachable, dense in terms of flavour concentration yet filigree in terms of texture. As usual, it's so Chardonnay! Overriding citrus character and quite amazingly long, a mouthful tingling on the palate for minutes not seconds. Enormous finesse. Massive pleasure. This would make the most luxurious aperitif. Michel Fauconnet, having welcomed the new chef de cave in January 2023, must be especially proud of this wine. Drinking Window: 2023-2033. (7/12/23)"