For 250 years, the elegant Lanson champagne has provided luxury and unforgettable moments for festive occasions around the world.
The history of Lanson champagne goes back all the way to the France of 1760, when François Delamotte founded his Maison de vins de Champagne (House of Champagne). At that time champagne production methods took giant steps forward, and Delamotte managed to create a luxurious bubbly drink that met the exacting demands of the upper classes and aristocracy of the time.
Soon the reputation of the new champagne house crossed the borders of France and as early as the 18th century, their champagne was particularly popular in Germany and other countries in Northern and Eastern Europe. In 1860 – as if in celebration of its centenary – Lanson made a breakthrough in Great Britain. In that year, Queen Victoria awarded a Royal Warrant to the company. The Lanson House has enjoyed this distinction ever since.
Even today, Lanson champagne is internationally recognisable by its so-called Maltese Cross. It was adopted as the Delamotte house emblem back in 1798, when the Maltese Order awarded François Delamotte’s youngest son, Nicolas-Louis Delamotte, the right to use this old powerful symbol, also representing seizing the moment. The symmetric eight-pointed star with the arms connecting in pairs is familiar to champagne lovers around the globe.
In the 19th century, the name “Lanson” was officially connected with the Delamotte house. At that point Nicolas-Louis Delamotte began cooperation with Jean-Baptiste Lanson. This son of a farming family from the Ardennes was passionate about winegrowing and champagne making and became an appreciated expert in the business. In 1837 the house took on the name Maison Lanson Père et Fils.
Genuinely fresh
Lanson champagne is still made with the same skills and techniques which have been passed down through generations of winemakers. One of the factors that set Lanson apart from most other champagnes is that malolactic fermentation is not used in its production. Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation which takes place in the vat, in which bacteria convert malic acid into lactic acid to reduce fruitiness and acidness. When this is prevented, the aroma remains fruity and fresh – just as the Lanson champagnes are known to be.
Lanson is well-known for its excellent vintage champagnes, justly the house’s pride and joy. The house can be equally proud of its best-known brands: the Lanson Black Label and Rose Label champagnes. The former was launched by Jean-Baptiste Lanson’s great grandson, Victor Lanson, also known as the Ambassador of Champagne, in 1937. He wanted to promote the consumption of non-vintage champagnes and, using very modern marketing thinking, named the new product Black Label.
Black Label Brut is an excellent example of the Lanson style, a world-famous classic champagne and also one of the biggest sellers in the champagne category around the world. In its taste, one can distinguish three champagne grape varieties: the white Chardonnay and the red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The maturation takes at least three years. In Lanson Black Label Brut, one can taste the abundance of ripe fruit and citrus, and the aroma is full of vitality: honey and flowers.
Lanson became one of the first champagne houses to produce rosé champagne when it launched Lanson Rosé Label Brut in 1950. It is made of the same grape varieties as Black Label Brut: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. A small portion of the Pinot Noir grapes is prepared using the red wine method, which gives the champagne’s colour its beautiful pale salmon touches. The aroma of the champagne is delicately rosy and predominantly fruity, and the taste is fresh and harmoniously balanced.
Lanson
- Production: 5 million bottles of champagne a year.
- Seven kilometres of wine cellars, containing 24 million bottles of champagne.
- The total volume of winemaking vats is 10 million litres.
- A part of the BCC (Boizel Chanoine Champagne) group operating in the Champagne region.