Founded in 1760, Champagne Lanson is one of the oldest producers in the region, with a rich history embedded in the famous city of Reims. The red cross in the logo comes from, Nicolas-Louis Delamotte who in 1798 took over from his father and as a knight of the Order of Malta, decided to use the Maltese Cross as the House’s emblem. Developing steadily and winning numerous awards over the years, they gained real prominence in the 1900s, becoming official supplier to the British court. Champagne Lanson have since gone on to sponsor the The Championships, Wimbledon - one of the UK's oldest and most traditional sporting competitions - for over forty years.

To mark its 250th anniversary, Champagne Lanson created a range of cuvées, Extra Age. This is the 3rd and final evolution of the champagne. The blend of Extra Age Brut is always 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir selected from Grand Cru vineyards of Avize, Bouzy, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, Verzenay using three vintages: 2004, 2005 and 2006. These magnums have a lot of complexity and significant future ahead, they are quite extraordinary and we believe this is the best champagne made by Lanson.

The trademark of Lanson is not to let its wines go through the 2nd fermentation, this follows the 1st fermentation where grape sugars convert to alcohol. The 2nd or malo-lactic fermentation often occurs naturally and the bacteria convert malic acid, as in green apples, to softer malic acid as in milk. One of the bi-products of this conversion is diacetyl the compound that gives butter its "butteriness!" So preventing this process from happening gives the champagne crisper acidity and long ageing ability and typically a leaner profile. Many Houses "manage" the malolactic allowing some of their wines through the process and inhibiting others, so at blending they have more "ingredients! That said when you have years like 2006 which are sunny and hence fruit rich years, the no ML approach works very well and with 50% of this champagne from 2006 everything has aligned and the outcome is a great champagne that although young now in 2021 it is still enjoyable or you can tuck some magnums away for ten to twenty years!

Technical Information:
Vineyards: PN – Verzenay and Bouzy CH - Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger
Grape Varieties: 40% Chardonnay & 60% Pinot Noir
Vintages: 25% 2004, 25% 2005 and 50% 2006
Bottled: Spring 2007
Lees Ageing: 12 years
Disgorged: March 2019
Dosage: 8 g/l
Drink: Now to 2038+

Tasting Note: Quite tight for a few minutes then the fruit really came through with zesty lemon, stone fruits and richness from tropical fruit like caramelised pineapple. The palate is very smooth for a champagne where the wines didn’t go through malolactic, that citrus freshness you expect and the lees texture really adds layers. The acidity keeps it fresh and a hint of saline is a beautiful element on the finish. This is young and vibrant, drinking now, but with the Mytik cork that will slow down maturation.