May 10, 2019 - Greg. Savory, aromatics. Sweet palate, touch of acidity.
November 28, 2018 - From magnum. Some camphor, fresh with a hint of not and coffee, almost complex nose; very lively and youthful for its age, splendid mousse, a tad short.
July 29, 2013 - From magnum. Very mature nose - toffee and malt. Perfumed, soft and creamy. A little simple - some tart apple. Very bright on the palate with solid acidity - lemon, some creamy malt. This has a solid assertive mousse and good structure, but it seems a bit hollow - missing something in the middle. The finish starts well, but isn't particularly long. Good, but not great. This might have suffered from the sweet Ricotta that I was eating at the same time. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15/20.
July 29, 2013 - Dinner at l'Artusi 7/29/2013 (l'Artusi, NYC): Golden straw. Big, floral, buttery nose. Yummy. Palate shows the same, floral, slightly sweet. Excellent, mellow mousse. Good length. Completely ready to go. Delicious! (from magnum)
October 27, 2012 - Burgundy 2012 Day 6: Celebratory Dinner (Maison de Lucien, Tailly): This was really interesting. Lanson is a house that had a great reputation in the 1970s, and the Red Label was considered its "prestige cuvee". From a magnum, this was really yummy. It was obviously quite a matured Champagne, with nicely developed notes of yeast and white meat, some honeyed aromas and dried flowers on the nose, along with fresher tones of red apples with a citrusy lift of lemons and limes. I would never have put it earlier than the late 1980s though, especially on the palate, which still seemed so young, with a lively mouthful of limes and juicy lemons, along with another touch of dried flowers, all still wrapped in juicy acidity and a nicely textured mousses. It had a lovely, long finish too, with a good lick of mineral at the tail. This was neither the most profound not the most complex of vintage Champagnes, especially given its age, but it was brilliantly integrated and really yummy. Excellent stuff, and it probably had the chops to go on for another decade quite easily.
September 27, 2012 - Josh Kurek's birthday bash (Corkbuzz, New York, NY): Tasted double blind, from magnum. Light-medium yellow-gold, almost white gold. Clearly the mature wine of the pair (paired with another champagne - 04 Vilmart). Very creamy, vanilla, cocoa, roasted nuts (Matt), minerals, winey-cidery tones. Quite mature, flavor-wise, on the palate. Starts with creamy cocoa and malt, then the winey aspect, pear, lots of ginger. The mouthfeel is much younger: very tight bubbles and quite acidic. Moves into a tart finish: lemon and minerals. An excellent mature champagne in great condition. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16.5/20.