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.

Lanson's golden years are only chosen to be declared in years that can truly be considered as exceptional. 1904, 1928, 1955, 1971, 1976, 1983 and 1990 were great vintages that have built the reputation of Champagne Lanson. Aged for at least five often ten years on its lees in the cellars and with no malolactic fermentation gives the blends a fruitiness and freshness. 2005 marks more than a century of great vintages since the first was produced in 1904.

The malolatic fermentation is often called the 2nd fermentation since it normally follows the main fermentation where sugars convert to alcohol. The ML fermentation usually happens naturally and is a conversion of malic acid, like you see in green apples, to lactic acid the softer acid you see in milk and the bi-product of this conversion is diacetyl, the same flavour element you see in butter. Hence the ML fermentation add a softness to the acids and some hints of butteryness. Most champagnes houses encourage some or all of the wine to complete the ML because otherwise the champagnes can be unapproachable at a young age. In this case the 1999 is now entering a good drinking phase since Lanson keep a parcel in their cellars for ten years post disgorgement ageing. A rare chance to taste a vintage champagne now just about ready to drink!

Weather: The 1999 season began with hailstorms in May which damaged many vines, though as the year went on warmer weather prevailed throughout July and August. The year developed promisingly with high expectations, until heavy rainfall in the second week of September contributed to the loss of many crops. Despite the rain the grapes had maturated well in the long summer and early concerns over dilution of flavour never became an issue.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: Chardonny: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger | Pinot Noir: Ay, Verzenay, Verzy, Bouzy
Grape Varieties: 49% Chardonnay, 51% Pinot Noir
Lees Ageing: 10 years
Disgorged: June 2009
Dosage: 9 g/l
Malolatic Fermenation: No ML
Drink: Now for 3-4 years

This parcel of Lanson Gold Label 1999 was bought direct from Lanson in June 2020 - it has been perfectly stored for the last ten years at 10-11 degrees celsius.

Tasting Note: The colour shows rich deep yellow gold and a healthy stream of bubbles. The aromatics are a mix of those younger fruits like apple and citrus with an hour after opening you see some smoky charm, dried lemon, bitter orange and that creamy character. Considering this is ten years post disgorgement this bottle was tight for an hour after opening at which point it really opened up and the richness of the fruit and bottled aged characteristics really shined. The palate has a good balance of fruit character the silky texture from lees ageing really offsets its bright acidity and it finishes with a lovely twist of salinity. Nick's tasting note June 2020