Lanson to release single vineyard Champagne

Lanson is to release a single vineyard Champagne this spring from a walled one-hectare vineyard close to the cathedral in the city of Reims.

As reported by Le Pan, Clos Lanson is a vintage Blanc de Blancs that has been fermented in old oak barrels and aged for eight years on its lees.

“Clos Lanson is an historic vineyard. It has always been well-known for its quality, but when Boizel Chanoine Champagne Group bought Lanson in 2006, the owners were surprised by the fact that nobody wanted to make a wine with it because it is a special place,” Hervé Dantan, chef de caves at Champagne Lanson, told Le Pan.

Clos Lanson was made for the first time in 2006, with Dantan believing the site’s chalk-rich soils and warmer temperatures contribute to its complexity and quality.

“The clos has a very special climate because it is in the town. It’s about two degrees warmer than the countryside, so it gives the wine a very ripe character. We are one of the first to harvest and we have a high degree of ripeness,” Dantan told Le Pan.

Just 8,000 bottles have been produced annually from the vineyard, which contains Chardonnay vines between 35 and 50 years old.

Details of the bottle design and price have yet to be revealed. The release was originally due to take place in late 2014, as reported by db, but was pushed back to 2016.

Other houses that make single vineyard Champagne include Krug with Clos du Mesnil and Clos d’Ambonnay and Philipponnat with Clos des Goisses.