Lanson Tasting

[Joe Schmoe]

Hi everyone. It's the new kid on the block again. I have been away on the final residential seminar for the Master of Wine exam in July, so haven't had a moment to see what's going on here. Anyway, last Tuesday, I attended a tasting for a small group of people, who were either my colleagues or people connected to Lanson champagne. David Molyneux-Berry, a very well-respected taster and wine figure over here, did an exceptional job of hosting the tasting.

For your information, here are my notes (abridged!)

N.B. Lanson is the only large champagne marque that ferments all its wine in stainless steel (since 1971), while also blocking the malolactic fermentation completely. This leads to an expressive but backward style of champagne that really does require extended lees and/or post-disgorgment ageing to show its biscuity best. (This is only my opinion, mind. Tom S. Any comments?)

1993 Gold Label Vintage (magnum)

Although youthful, ripe bright and forward for such a wine. Excellent ripe chardonnay fruit characters, and a blanced, if slightly short finish. Distinctly light-bodied but ready to drink. Successful for a 1993, I think, but not top rank.

1990 Gold Label Vintage (magnum)

Definitely putting on weight, this wine is not as easy to drink as it was a year or 2 ago, on release. The brightly focused, soft, rich fruit flavours have firmed up and are being overtaken by considerable secondary aromas. Toasty, with a still fleshy, quite pinot driven palate. A smoky, Dom Perignon style autolytic character is being to show through, adding another dimension. I would keep this now, until after the Millennium. Very promising.

1989 Noble Cuvée (magnum)

Well! This is was good, really good! A superb, fresh attack of minerals and ripe apple fruit followed by a seemless build of richness on the palate, finshing long, unctuous, but bone-dry. A magnificent luxury cuvée I think, and destined (maybe even deservedly so) for a price increase in forthcoming vintages. This, and the following wine, were classic expressions of their vintage, and although showed a common house style, were totally different characters, each equally good.

1988 Noble Cuvée (bottle)

Intense smoky, autolysis on the nose and a slatey crisp attack in the mouth, followed by youthful, linear fruit that is beginning to show a hint of the complexity on the palate to come. Astonishing wine that will live as long as the best of the vintage. Start to drink at the end of next year.

The following older wines were all disgorged for the tasting a month ago.

1981 Red Label (magnum)

Wonderfully fresh, lemon aroma with a deliciously incisive, fresh biscuit palate. Good acidity, with a still firm concentration.
Although recently disgorged, I am sure that the stock will stand atleast another 10-15 years cellaring before it is 'a point'.

1976 Red Label (bottle)

A rich, leesy, but by now, slightly volatile cuvée that had tremendous richness, but was teetering on the brink of collapse. A rich pinot led wine that built in richness in the mouth. The finish was a little raw, showing a few cracks but was still an admirable complex wine. Probably the least typical wine here.

1971 Red Label (magnum)

A beautifully feminine wine with light body but deliciously proportioned flavours. Very round and creamy, with just a touch of tertiary mocha characters coming through. A wonderfully citrussy but not particularly tight acidity on the finish shows this wine to be the perfect drink now, although it would easily be swamped by strongly flavoured food. The ideal aperitif!

1969 Red Label (bottle)

(This wine was the last vintage Lanson to have been produced from base wines fermented partially in oak.) Deep straw in colour, this wine exhibited a fair amount of richness, and an unsusually high level of phenolic development. A strong aroma of ripe melon was present with a rich coffee and tobacco flavour. This wine was very interesting and had unique appeal. However, I felt that this wine should be consumed soonest. Richly textured with good acidity, despite the phenolic development.

1961 Red Label (Magnum)

This is one of the highlights of my vinous year to date. Beautiful pale white gold in colour, with an exasperating aroma of candied fruit, mocha, mango and brioche. On the palate, it danced(! Please allow me some serious poetic license here. The wine deserved it.)) - richly textured creamy mousse with perfect balance, supported with the lightest touch of crisp apple acidity, that took hold very slowly and persisted through the finish, showing immense concentration and length. This is a great wine. I put it on a par with DP 61. You may think I am exaggerating, but maybe Tom Stevenson could verify or dispute this claim. It was truly superb.

1959 Red Label (bottle)

A still full, fine mousse, with a deep straw gold hue. Quite oxidative on the palate with rich tangy flavours that reminded me of an old tasty white Hermitage, or even an old long-lived white Rioja. This was the last vintage wine to be fermented entirely in oak at Lanson. It is, therefore, difficult to ascertain whether the oxidative characters came from natural 'affinage' of the base wine in wood, or whether a magnum would have been much fresher.

Well, I will never look at Lanson in the same light again. We had the opportunity of trying a Black Label (now 97% echelle des crus rating) with 5 years bottle age, which was memorable. It definitely needs that extra time, as it is raw and almost unpleasant on release. Also the (Demi Sec) Ivory Cuvée was superb, going with both my orange and blackcurrant sorbet, and the tarte au citron that some of the other guests had.

I don't know how many American wine merchants specialise in old champagne, but as far as I'm concerned, it will be the only way to see in the new year with style....

JS