Champagne for Breakfast
By Doc Lawrence

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Champagne for Breakfast

During each visit to New Orleans over many years, I enjoyed flutes of Champagne with Creole eggs, shrimp and grits, biscuits, ham and andouille sausage. I came to expect it, but always thought that this noble custom was confined to the French Quarter, Quebec City, and Paris. My recent meeting to interview the heiress of one of the world’s great Champagne houses caused me to reconsider these old notions. Champagne, more particularly Laurent-Perrier Champagne, was poured into bottomless glasses all to my delight.

Breakfast suddenly rivaled dinner!

My hostess, Alexandra de Nonancourt, is surely the only woman on this planet whose father, in honor of her marriage, specially crafted Champagne and named it after her. Because she is a ranking member of a renowned family-owned Champagne house, I, just after meeting her, could understand why a father would do something so majestic and lasting. Champagne after all, is almost synonymous with love.

Alexandra de Nonancourt came to Atlanta as a “Guest of Honor,” the annual award given by Atlanta’s High Museum of Art during its annual fund-raiser wine auction festivities. It is a distinction of real merit that in past years has been awarded to such great names in the world of wine as Armand Cottin, the president of Labourie-Roi and Murielle Guliano, the CEO of Veuve Clicquot, and author of the runaway best seller, “French Women Don’t Get Fat.” 

“I have enjoyed my visit in your beautiful city,” Alexandra told me at breakfast while the attentive waiter poured another glass of Ultra-Brut Laurent-Perrier, which I paired with scrambled eggs and caviar. Acknowledging that she travels throughout the world on behalf of her family’s wonderful wines, I couldn’t resist telling her about the Champagne folklore in the South. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that during the Civil War, Confederate blockade runners managed to smuggle in thousands of bottles of Champagne for thirsty generals and their families and staffs. Champagne, as anyone familiar with Rhett Butler knows, has always occupied a hallowed place at Southern dining tables, no matter the degree of adversity and hardship.

Founded in 1812, Laurent–Perrier has always been avant-garde in creating unique and elegant champagnes for nearly two hundred years. For over 50 years, Bernard Nonancourt, Alexandra’s father, has dedicated his life to innovating and perfecting Laurent-Perrier Champagne. According to Alexandra de Monancourt “our champagnes are generally Chardonnay-driven and multi-vintage by choice to maximize what is best about the Champagne craft. Laurent –Perrier emphasizes the art or blending by sourcing grapes from the finest vineyards in Champagne, vinifying each lot separately and carefully assembling them to embody our House style which is crisp, fresh, elegant and a pleasure to drink.”

As I was enjoying breakfast pastries prepared by the chef, I easily nodded in agreement with Alexandra’s descriptions of her different styles of Champagne, knowing that I had found the perfect pairing of food and beverage for breakfast. Good-bye orange juice.

I was given a new education on this spectacular spring morning. I thought I knew much about Champagne, but Alexandra de Monancourt gently took me along a journey of her Champagnes, the history of this region of France and all the great events associated with Laurent-Perrier. Mark Twain once said that he believed Joan of Arc to be the world’s greatest figure. The young warrior who became a Saint was from the area of Rhiems, the capital of the Champagne region of France. It seems appropriate that the most highly prized wine on earth comes from here.

Continuing a tradition of association with things noble and regal, Laurent-Perrier has been, I was told, the official Champagne of the Academy Awards for the past decade.  “Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, and many others celebrated their accomplishments with our Champagne,” said Alexandra. I assumed that she was there joining in all the festivities and imagined she blended perfectly with the pageantry and beauty.

Sometimes you really hate to see breakfast come to an end. That was my lingering feeling of regret when it was time to say good-bye to this striking and eloquent representative of her Champagne house. The gift of a prized bottle from Alexandra de Monancourt remains in a special spot near my wine and cookbook library. I think I’ll save it for something very important in my life, perhaps a day that has particular significance. 

In the meantime, I think of food and wine a little differently and have made the natural transition to adding in a new beverage for an occasional meaningful breakfast. With Champagne, we celebrate and christen. Champagne is the universal elixir of love. Nothing comes in second. We ring in the New Year with it and serving it on Valentine’s Day is obligatory. It’s also very appropriate for saying farewell.

Laurent-Perrier Champagne is now among my favorite things. I reflexively associate each glass of this magnificent bubbly liquid with the gracious emissary who for a few moments brought me into her region of France that produces it. I’m delighted knowing that now I enjoy it as much as my Southern ancestors.