A vintage Champagne is only produced in excellent years. Essentially, it is only the finest grapes from the best vineyards. In the winery, vintage Champagne is given special treatment. Notably, it is given longer bottle ageing on the lees to allow its complex nuances time to evolve. This wine matured for over 13 years old before release. Lanson 1998 is the epitome of a mature vintage Champagne. The golden tinges to the color indicate some maturity. But it is on the nose that the quality of the wine first becomes evident, with high intensity of apple, citrus and nuts. The palate is dry, exceptionally rich and layered, with a backbone…