Lanson Serves Up Aces at our Hollywood Tasting Bar on Thursday

Lanson might not be the biggest brand out there in Champagne, but they’re not trying to be, especially in the U.S. Though they’re one of the oldest Champagne houses in existence (founded in 1760), and they’ve been purveyors to the British Royal Court since Queen Victoria, they’re newly back on the U.S. market after a very long hiatus. And this fact, according to owner Enguerrand Baijot, has allowed them to enter the U.S. on their own terms, working face to face with independent retailers and distributors who are passionate about Champagne. So, you won’t find them on the shelves of chain stores, and that’s just how they like it. They consider themselves an alternative to the huge brands, “in terms of taste, style, profile, and price,” according to Baijot.

This careful, attention-to-detail approach is evident in their wine. Their characteristic crisp, fresh, clean style is achieved by blocking malolactic fermentation—a part of the winemaking process that converts tart acids to creamier acids and imparts a certain roundness in texture. These are sleek, linear sparklers—and have been since the beginning of the company. The wines are also Pinot Noir-driven, aged much longer than the minimum requirement, and comprise 50-60 percent premier and grand cru wines, even in their nonvintage labels. They say you can judge the quality of a Champagne house by its NV wines since it’s easier to make excellent vintage wines in excellent years than to make NV blends consistently outstanding each year. Baijot stands behind their NV Black Label and encourages newcomers to start there to get a sense of house style.

You may also start with their NV Brut rosé, as it’s the same initial blend as the Black Label, with a bit of red wine added for color and depth. It has more of a medium body but holds on tightly to that refreshing characteristic. Says Baijot: “Southern California is sunny all year long. There’s a magical thing that happens with sunshine—people think rosé. Rosé has tremendous food pairing possibilities especially with shellfish and sushi.” It’s a by-the-glass pour in all of the Nobu restaurants, so he recommends heading to Malibu and pairing the Lanson rosé with the awesome view.

For a different direction, there’s their NV White Label Sec. It’s drier than a demi-sec wine (and more rare), but sweeter than a brut. The extra soupçon of residual sugar provides a rounder, softer texture. Instead of the green apple notes you get in the Black Label, you’ll find baking spices, pastry, cinnamon, and honey notes. Baijot recommends pairing it with with spicy food such as Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai. Or try it with a soft cheese and foie gras instead of Sauternes. It’d be great with a summery dessert, and, since it’s not that sweet, it’d be a lovely counterpoint, especially on a hot day.

Though newer to U.S. drinkers, Lanson has been beloved by the British for a long time, thanks to their long-standing place at the Royal Palace. They have also been proudly (and exclusively) sponsoring Wimbledon since 1977. Baijot broke it down for this sports neophyte: “Wimbledon is magical. It’s the most magical tennis grand slam in the world, I’ve been to the U.S. Open and the French Open. But at Wimbledon, time has stopped. Everyone is so elegant, the players all wearing plain whites. You may even see the Queen in the royal box. It’s the kind of place that was probably just the same 100 years ago. And everyone drinks Champagne—only Lanson. It’s the only tournament in the world where you are allowed to drink courtside. Wimbledon is all about authenticity, tradition. And we are not a shiny, modern brand. We are all about taste, tradition, what’s inside the bottle. That dedication to quality and truth really appeals to Wimbledon and the people behind it. That’s the reason we’ve been together so long.”

That sounds expensive, right? It could be, but to Baijot it is important that Champagne is an affordable luxury, so you can grab several of their bottlings for about $35 at K&L. His motto is “everyone should be able to get a bottle of Champagne whenever you want, not just special occasions.” He says, “Champagne is a perfect palate cleanser and prepares you for food, puts you in the right mindset. Start any meal with Champagne—lunch, brunch, dinner—and your experience is better… Enjoy a bit of water, a lot of Champagne!”

In 2011, Baijot moved to the U.S. so that he could hand-curate where he placed Lanson. He says: “I love it here! I love the challenge. It’s definitely a challenge. No one was waiting for us, we came back at a difficult time. We didn’t have the big money for marketing of other brands, but we are meeting people face to face and creating a good network of partners who believe in us. We are boutique, family owned, we don’t do business with chains in the U.S.—just with the independent retailers, with retailers who appreciate that behind every label there’s a story. We are very proud of our dedication to quality and making Champagne the same way since 1760. Always family owned, always been made the same way. We’re excited to be back on the shelf at K&L.”

Stay tuned for an upcoming collaboration between Lanson and K&L in the fall, when Lanson will be giving K&L customers the California exclusive for the launch of Clos Lanson 2007. This is only the second vintage release of wine from their historic one-hectare 18th c. vineyard—the last vineyard to remain in the city of Reims. Until then, join us in Hollywood as we pour through the Lanson lineup, including their 2002 Gold Label, on Thursday, June 21, 5:30 to 7PM. $5 in our tasting bar. There may be some Wimbledon swag if you play your cards right.

- Kate Soto