From: Champagne, France
Blend: 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier
Taste & Critical Acclaim: This house is making a big comeback. A generous, toasty nose gives a convincing, rich palate impression and a clean, refreshing finish. The wine is made from 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 15% Meunier and is vinified without malolactic fermentation. The fruit comes from all Grand and Premier Cru areas within Champagne and tastes like it!
92 points Decanter
50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 15% Meunier from 100 villages in all, and including 30% reserves from 10 vintages back to 1995; a small proportion now being produced with malolactic. Black Label remains the confident barometer of Lanson, and Hervé Dantan’s first blend is a class act, a resounding statement of his talent in preserving the style and integrity of the house while meticulously polishing the edges. It’s a very important cuvée in the grand scheme of Champagne: one of the best and most consistent of the bargain set. (TS) (8/2020)
91 points John Gilman
The wine is drinking very nicely, offering up a complex nose of apple, a touch of peach, lovely soil tones, fresh-baked bread and incipient smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and focused, with a good core, pinpoint bubbles, fine acids and a long, complex and well-balanced finish. This has the cut and backend bounce of a non-malo bubbly, but with the acids beautifully buffered. A fine Brut NV. (8/2018)
91 points Wine Enthusiast
The classic Lanson nonvintage label sums up the dry style of the house, with its emphasis on crisp fruit, a taut, almost mineral texture and an ability to age in the bottle. It can be drunk now although it will mature further. (RV) (12/2019)
91 points Wine Spectator
A bright, accessible version, with well-cut, citrusy acidity and a lively, lightly creamy mousse carrying flavors of grainy green pear, ripe raspberry and grilled nut, showing a touch of chalky mineral. (AN) (12/2019)
90 points Wine Advocate
Disgorged in January 2018, the latest release of Lanson's NV Brut Black Label is showing well, offering up aromas of warm biscuits, crisp orchard fruit, dried citrus rind and toasted brioche. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied and crisp but fleshy, with the house's non-malo style tempered by a generous core of fruit, concluding with a long, chalky finish. This is a very creditable non-vintage cuvée that has the cut and structure to evolve in the cellar. (WK) (8/2019)
90 points Wine & Spirits
With brisk flavors ranging from green apple to orange and red raspberry, this wine emphasizes fresh fruit and chalky limestone acidity. It’s clean and simply presented, ready to pour with briny oysters. (12/2019)
90 Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship of the brand, the NV Champagne Le Black Label Brut release is based on the 2016 vintage with 40% reserve wine spanning 10 vintages. Some of the reserve wine is aged in cask, the remainder in stainless steel. The nose is expressive and fragrant with ripe red fruits, white strawberry, red roses, and brioche. The palate is juicy and round, with primary juicy Anjou pear, Mirabel plum, and honeycomb. A crowd pleaser, this is perfect as an aperitif and for parties. Best after 2022.
Pairing: This champagne is perfect as an aperitif, served alongside oysters (raw, grilled, or baked), and a fantastic pairing partner to a wide array of dishes. Some ideas include serving this next to creamy pasta with white truffle, mushroom gnocchi or risotto, and even homemade Mac and Cheese (with or without lobster or bacon). Poulet roti with a white wine sauce and baguette to soak up the jus, smoked salmon crepes, thinly sliced Iberico ham, and, of course, fried chicken or fried fish are some other ideas that’ll be a home run next to this charming and complex classic.
Cornmeal Waffles With Smoked Salmon
By David Tanis
About. Founded in 1760, Lanson is the fourth oldest Champagne House. Its unique and authentic style rests on 4 immutable pillars: a meticulous selection of Crus, a vinification according to the traditional Champagne principle, a rare collection of reserve wines, and a longer aging in cellars.
To expand, after this much time, they’re still carrying on the initial vision of its founders. Lanson favors, since its origins, fruitiness, body, and vitality of Pinot Noir. This emblematic grape represents a significant part of the House blends. The Maison completes with a minimum of 30% Chardonnay, thus resulting in a balance of body and finesse.
Lanson sources all of its grapes from 100 of the 320 Cru villages that comprise the Champagne Appellation. Over 50% of all the grapes that Lanson uses come from Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages (versus an average rate of 30% for the whole Appellation).
The Lanson house has always made the conscious and deliberate decision to preserve the original style of its Champagne, purposefully keeping its wines from going through malolactic fermentation. This results in champagne that carries a lot of fresh feels and friendliness. This specificity enables the wine to keep natural and mouth-watering flavors and lots of lift, enhancing the original purity of fruit.
Hervé Dantan, vigneron.
Born in 1965, the son of a winegrower and pure Champenois (Champenois = person from Champagne), Hervé Dantan grew up in the region. After graduating, he interned in iconic wine regions such as Bordeaux, Bourgogne, and Alsace. He even worked for a year for a Californian winery to perfect his knowledge, skills, and English.
At 25 years old, he became one of the youngest cellar masters in Champagne. Highly regarded by many of his peers, Herve was asked to join Champagne Lanson in 2013 by the House's legendary winemaker, Jean-Paul Gandon. In 2015, following Jean Paul’s retirement and after two years of learning all the secrets of the Lanson House from him, Hervé Dantan became officially Champagne Lanson’s new winemaker. For a house and an area this old, he’s still considered a young winemaker, even though he’s been working toward this for almost his whole life!
This wine. Le Black Label Brut owes its name to Victor Lanson when he created the iconic Champagne of the House in 1937. The authentic style of Le Black Label Brut comes from the House know-how based on a selection of the finest Crus of Champagne, the original Champagne vinification method of low malolactic fermentation for incomparable fruitiness and freshness, a palette of reserve wines spanning numerous vintages over 20 years and a longer aging time in the cellar.
