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.
— 3 months ago
The 2022 Chablis Vau de Vey 1er Cru has a lovely bouquet with orchard fruit scents bursting from the glass with a bit more gusto than last year. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a slightly viscous texture and a saline finish. Excellent. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2024)
— 3 months ago
Drinks like a fairly full bodied vintage. Very nice. Enjoying with escargot, mussels and steak! — 4 months ago
Alors là c'est joli, un nez sur le fruit jaune, des notes florales et du miel, une attaque vive saline puis une rondeur tapissante, complexe longue, TB — 5 months ago
Cool lime and a shiny undertow. Lovely fresh fruit- restrained, detailed, delicate but intense with a puckering saline finish. Really delicious — 3 months ago
Pinotman /// Andreas
No lengthy formal notes - cherry driven mostly excellent. — 20 days ago