Cruz Del Sur
Marc Hébrart
Special Club Brut 1er Cru Champagne Blend 2018
This is the 2018 Marc Hébrart Brut ‘Special Club’ – a beautiful bottle of vintage bubbles hailing from a collection of premier and grand cru sites in the Marne and Montagne de Reims regions of Champagne, France.
When you see “Special Club” on the label of a bottle with this distinctive shape, you’re dealing with essentially a prestige cuvée of a grower-producer who’s a member of the “Club Trésors.”
Marc Hébrart joined the Club Trésors in 1985, which is an association of quality-minded grower-producers. Grower-producers operate differently than the big champagne houses (e.g., Veuve-Clicquot) in that they are smaller-scale vignerons who own the entire production process from the vineyard to the winery and cellar.
They have helped raise awareness and appreciation of artisanal champagne wines that speak to a sense of place and personality, unobscured by extensive, widespread blending.
To achieve the status of “Special Club” a wine must undergo a rigorous application process and meet minimum quality metrics culminating with in two blind tasting panels – the first tasting evaluates the base wine after the first fermentation; the second and final tasting occurs after a minimum of three years aging sur lie.
From our studies we’ve learned the 2018 vintage bore above-average fruit; the warm and dry summer paved the way for a riper expression in an otherwise marginal climate. This wine is made with 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay.
The bouquet has a medium (+) intensity of yellow and green apple, lemon zest, white peach, gardenia, almond biscotti, nougat, pastry, biscuit, and toast notes. The palate is creamy with vibrant acidity, adding lift, a fine-beaded, persistent mousse and long, elegant finish.
— a month ago
Ridge Vineyards
Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2020
Delamotte
Blanc de Blancs Champagne Chardonnay
From Charleston Food and Wine Classic…Biscuit and Bubbles tasting. — 8 days ago
Rhys Vineyards
Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
Tamarind, tobacco, ripe red berry fruit, raspberry, cherry. Nice development, enjoy soon. — a month ago
Salon
'S' Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut Chardonnay 1999
From mag. Fresh and clear. Lemon and limestone and fine light floral notes. Precise and pretty — 2 hours ago
Mount Eden Vineyards
Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 1978
Deep fruit. A touch of tang. Some tobacco and dried herbs. Iron and deep fruit. So young given its age. Quite intense. Soulful. Excellent — 24 days ago
Jay Miner
Demo-sec. Pineapple, honey, lemon rind. Not what I usually look for in Chenin, but this is undeniably a good wine. Elegant, full, and with a finish that just won’t quit. — 12 days ago