2004 Lanson Noble Cuvee

The 2004 Champagne Noble Vintage Brut is mostly Chardonnay with the addition of 30% Pinot Noir. A medium straw color, it offers more of the depth and complexity of the vintage, with notes of fresh raspberry, orange flower, and honey. Medium-bodied, it retains good focus while having a nice arch throughout with delicate savory notes on the finish. It’s a very pretty wine as well, with a bit more of a direct nature than the Blanc De Blanc Noble of the same vintage, although it’s on par in terms of its quality. Drink 2024-2040. Cellar master Hervé Dantan took over in 2013 and is the third generation in his family of winegrowers. In addition to working and studying in Champagne, Mr. Dantan also spent time in Burgundy and at Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma. Historically, the winery entirely blocked malolactic fermentation, but they’re no longer dogmatic about it, although they continue to strive for a crispy style. Since Hervé’s arrival, they have worked to create a vineyard team and are moving to becoming certified sustainable and using organic practices whenever possible. They work with 400 different partners in the vineyards. The vineyard La Clos de Lanson in Reims is the only urban clos in the region and is a single hectare planted to Chardonnay. It’s the only parcel that’s fermented in barrel, and the latest release is the 2007 vintage. The vintage bottlings are produced from Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites, with the prestige cuvées consisting entirely of Grand Cru. Structural developments include a barrel room built in 2015 and a new press house in Verzenay that opened last year. The press house is also the home of a new future clos currently of young vines facing the landmark windmill of the village. With this year’s releases, Dantan and the team are working to show more transparency in their labeling, beginning with the Black Label. Consumers will find that there is now a “Creation” number added to the label, with this year’s release called Creation 257, as it is the 257th release. For future releases, the numbers will move forward sequentially.