The release of Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines Extra Brut comes in response to the growing consumer trend for low and zero dosage Champagnes in the UK.  This non vintage cuvée is produced from 45% Pinot Meunier,  35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Aged for a minimum of 3 years, it has an intense, mineral nose, slight citrus aromas and notes of roasted nuts. As with all Besserat de Bellefon wines, Extra Brut does not undergo malolactic fermentation ensuring the palate remains fresh, while the finish is persistent, complex and refined. RRP £35.

Tennis sponsorship

Champagne Lanson is is continuing its partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, having agreed a new sponsorship deal to be the Champagne supplier for the Aegon British Tennis Series. Champagne Lanson will also continue to sponsor Wimbledon, the world’s most prestigious tennis Championships.

Champagne Lanson wines, including the bestselling Lanson Black Label Brut NV and Rosé Label NV, as well as Lanson Gold Label Vintage and the Noble Cuvée range, will be served at public and VIP hospitality outlets at major international grass court events this summer, including the Aegon Championships (formerly the Artois Championships) held at the Queen’s Club in June.

To celebrate being the official Champagne sponsor for the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Champagne Lanson is linking up with outlets in both the off and on trade to further establish Lanson as the Champagne of the Championships and the UK summer sporting season.

The forecourt of London’s Bluebird Restaurant will be transformed into a mock tennis court, complete with a large plasma screen, which will show all matches for the duration of the Championships. A branded Champagne bar will also be installed serving Lanson Black Label Brut NV and Rosé Label NV to customers during the two weeks of the tournament. The same wines will be served to the biggest names in tennis at the Wimbledon Champion’s Dinner to be held at the Intercontinental hotel on the final Sunday of the Championships.

Champagne Lanson is also running on-trade promotions during the Wimbledon period at Grosvenor House and Corney & Barrow.  Customers buying Champagne Lanson at Corney & Barrow’s City bars will have the chance to win a variety of prizes including a holiday to Champagne.

Retail initiatives include special Champagne Lanson Wimbledon branded bottles, which will be available in Waitrose, and a special edition Wimbledon neoprene jacket for the Black Label Brut NV, which will be sold in Tesco stores nationwide from 3rd June until 5th July.

Paul Beavis, managing director of Champagne Lanson UK, says “we are delighted to continue our sponsorship of Wimbledon as this prestigious tournament is very much in keeping with Champagne Lanson’s brand values – good taste, sophistication and understated elegance. The clean, fresh taste of Champagne Lanson makes it the ideal choice to be enjoyed as a pre-match aperitif or indeed to celebrate that triumphant sporting win.” 

Tsarine distrubution

Champagne Lanson has also announced that it is the new distributor of Champagne Tsarine to the UK market.  Also a member of the Boizel Chanoine Champagne (BCC) group, Tsarine is made by the second oldest Champagne house, Chanoine Frères, founded in 1730.

The Tsarine cuvée was originally created in honour of the Russian tsars, the most famous consumers of champagne in the nineteenth century. Relaunched in 2000, the Tsarine range comes in a distinctive and unique bottle, with ridged swirls instead of a smooth surface. In France it is proud to be associated with the glamorous world of film as one of the sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival and the Palm d’Or.

An equal blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from selected vineyards; on the nose lime flowers and lemon balm mingle with notes of bitter orange and quince, whilst the fresh, crisp palate.

June 09