Champagne Lanson is the ninth largest house in Champagne, and certainly one of the richest in terms of history. Founded in 1760 by Francois Delamotte, the house became “Lanson” after the appointment of close family friend Jean-Baptiste Lanson to the helm of the company in the early 1800’s.
Second-generation owner Nicolas-Louis Delamotte, who was a Knight of the Order of Malta, introduced the Maltese cross logo of the brand.
In the early 1990’s, Lanson was purchased by Moet and Chandon. At that time, Lanson had a touch more than 200 hectares of vineyards. Just six months later, the house was on-sold by it’s new owners with only 2 hectares to its books. Such a brutal loss would kill most houses, but Lanson has since managed to claw back and expand its network of growers to become a key part of one of the largest companies currently in champagne; Lanson-BCC, which is second only to LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moet, Hennessy).
Today’s review is for Lanson’s Extra Age Rosé. The key to this champagne is its time spent on second fermentation; 5 years. This allow the yeast to process sugars and typically leads to an improvement in depth of flavours. The increased storage time also requires investment for space within Lanson’s comprehensive cellar network – which is not cheap, hence the additional cost on top of a regular NV Lanson Pink Label. The source of grapes is from the Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Verzenay, Bouzy regions, and a blend of vintages from 2002, 2004 and 2005.
The best place to find Extra Age Rosé is via duty-free and boutique wine merchants.
Details:
From: Reims, Champagne, France
Code: NM-232-001
Cost & Source: $98 a bottle from Heinemann Duty Free
Blend Ratio: Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier: (35/65/0) with ~8 g/l dosage
Aging: 5 Years
Disgorged: 02/2014
Sipped: Dec 2020
Notes:
Look: Orange/Copper hue with a medium fine bead.
Smell: Sweet nose, jam and strawberries come to mind.
Taste: Tart introduction, sweet in the middle; with strawberry caps tied in with notes of orange and citrus flavours. Depth is great with a good finish that doesn’t deteriorate on the tongue.
Score & Verdict:
7.5/10
At $98 per bottle I think its good value for the money.
Let me know if you’ve also tried this champagne and your thoughts.
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