When Lanson released their stylishly presented ‘Pere et Fils’ (effectively the previous release of Black Label, benefitting from an extra year on yeast) exclusively for the on-trade, its invigoratingly fresh, crisp fruit and long, complex finish made it a natural gastronomic Champagne, but there was no magnum …
I asked Philippe Baijot, Lanson’s CEO, how on earth anyone could consider launching a Champagne specifically for the on-trade and not offer it in magnums, the ideal format format for the on-trade?
Serving by the glass from magnum is not only easier (less bottles to open!), but more appealing to knowledgeable customers. True aficionados of Champagnes always prefer to drink by the glass from a magnum than purchase by the 75cl bottle.
Well, this week I got my answer, Lanson Pere et Fils in magnum! Mrs S and I drank half on Monday and deliberately left the other half stoppered in the fridge until Friday to see if it maintained its freshness and it passed the test with flying colours: still full of fizz and with even more pronounced fruit than when first opened. I look forward to my first Lanson by the glass somewhere!
