Vanessa

9.3

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.

— 2 months ago

with Deked1

Conrad Green

9.1

Marmalade in color. Oxidative notes with Apple cider vinegar but a freshness and drive too. Really interesting — 3 years ago

with Walker, Tony and 2 others

Vanessa

9.4

Today we began with a visit to Billecart-Salmon, which has been family owned since 1818. They are 7 generations strong, producing between 2 and 2.5 million bottles per year. We received our informative tour from Jérôme Lafouge. 👏

He explained how Billecart-Salmon grows and manages many of the vines used to produce their wines; they also source grapes 🍇 from other growers, but otherwise own the production process from the pressing of the grapes on… the facilities are pristine and processes are executed meticulously.

Each wine is vinified by vineyard plot. A unique feature of Billecart-Salmon is its decision to have a slow, cool fermentation process for all of its wine - both those vinified in barrels and those in stainless steel tanks - a process that takes 6 weeks to complete.

Each winemaking decision is customized based upon the type and condition of the grapes, e.g., some undergo a malolactic fermentation (where tart malic acid is converted to soft, lactic acid) while others may not, some have a first fermentation in oak where as some are stainless steel, etc.

At the end of our tour we had the pleasure to taste a few beautiful wines (pictured here).

Our favorite was the 2002 Vintage Cuvée Nicolas François comprised of 60% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-Sur-Aÿ, Aÿ, Ambonnay, and Verzenay and 40% Chardonnay from Chouilly, Cramant, and Avize.

This wine was clearly developing lovely tertiary aromas. It also had great complexity retaining its primary and secondary notes. It was disgorged January of 2016, resting over a decade on the lees.

The aromas and palate had caramel, toffee, brioche, pie crust, toast, hazelnut, cream, melted butter, honey, ginger, candied lemon peel, quince, fig, and chamomile notes.

What an enjoyable experience and we loved meeting some new friends on the tour from Savannah, Georgia and Canada.

Santé mes amis 🥂🥂🥂 — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Conrad Green

9.6

This is delicious. Steely with salinity and real detail and finesse. Light citrus notes and a lovely composed midpalate. Long. Surprisingly accessible now. — 6 months ago

with Bex

Vanessa

9.7

When we visited Billecart-Salmon in October of 2021, we received a tour of the stunning estate. Along the way, our guide, Jerome, paused near a traditional “Clos” (a single vineyard, enclosed by a wall) on the property. 

We could see a beautiful stone wall, surrounding a tiny 1 hectare parcel of “Clos Saint Hilaire,” named after the Patron Saint of the local church in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where Billecart-Salmon is located. 

Although we didn’t go into the Clos, we learned about how special this parcel is to the family; how it’s exclusively planted to Pinot Noir with vines dating back to 1964; how work in the vineyard is performed by hand and horse-drawn plows; how this parcel is farmed according to an age-old savoir-faire, adhering to principles of sustainable viticulture.

The wine is pale gold with a prominent bouquet of yellow apple, Anjou pear, raspberry, lemon curd, white peach, white blossom, desiccated white rose, wet stones, biscuit, brioche, almond paste, marzipan, crusty croissant, pie crust, toast, creamy texture and persistent, fine-beaded mousse and long elegant finish.

This is a 2005 “Blanc de Noirs” Champagne, comprised of 100% Pinot Noir, all coming from Le Clos Saint Hilaire, vinified entirely in oak casks to lend texture and body, and aged 170 months (more than 14 years!) sur lie prior to its recent release.  Due to the vineyard’s small size, production is very limited, and wine only produced in the best vintages.

Cheers to beautiful wines expressing a singularity of time and place!

Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint Hilaire (2005).  — a year ago

with Deked1

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Third tasting of 2017 over a year and a half. First observation: this wine improves every time! For the rest, we are on a, jammy, peppery, moka, with fine floral notes. Wine from Morocco by an artisan winemaker from the Rhône, in the style of St-Jo or Croze over-vitamin.

Troisième dégustation du 2017 sur un an et demi. Première constat : ce vin s’améliore à chaque fois! Pour le reste, on est toujours sur une Syrah, compotée, poivrée, moka, avec de notes fines florales. Vin du Maroc par un artisan vigneron du Rhône, dans le style St-Jo ou Croze sur-vitaminé. — 3 years ago

Graham

9.1

Opened and had a small glass. Closed with good seal and glass on second night was noticeably better. — 10 months ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

We are totally out of the usual landmarks with this pretty Merlot de Loire, in a nature spirit that drinks beautifully well. In addition to plum, unexpected floral notes, bark and infused herbs tend towards caramel. It is supple, silky, fine and deep. Curious to see how it will evolve over 3.5 years. Winemaker to watch.

On est totalement hors des repères habituels avec ce jolie Merlot de Loire, dans un esprit nature qui se boit magnifiquement bien. Au nez outre la prune, des notes inattendues florales, d’écorces et d’herbes infusées tendent vers le caramel. C’est souple, soyeux, fin et profond. Curieux de voir comment ça évoluera sur 3,5 ans. Vigneron à surveiller. — a year ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

First tasting of an Oregon PN. I can't say if this one is characteristic or not, one thing is for sure, we are far from our taste landmarks such as burgundy Sancerres etc. Very focussed on black fruits, pepper, intense vegetable notes, a freshness still marked even after 6 years, the tannins are still firm even today. All the sliders seem pushed and would recall some Languedoc wines by its prominent yet balanced profile. The finish is remarkable. An intense lively and half-bodied wine, although a little expensive to my taste.

Première dégustation d’un PN d’Oregon. Je ne saurais dire si celui-ci est caractéristique ou non, une chose est sur, on est loin de nos repères gustatifs type bourgeonne Sancerres etc. Très porté sur les fruits noirs, le poivre, des notes végétales intenses, une fraîcheur encore marquée même après 6 ans, les tanins sont fermes même encore aujourd’hui. Tous les curseurs semblent poussés et rappellerait certains vins du Languedoc par son profil proéminent quoique équilibré. La finale est remarquable. Un vin vif et demi-corsé intense, quoiqu’un peu cher à mon goût. — 3 years ago

Lauren Golanty

8.9

A good champagne. Drank kind of… young? Balanced but not graceful, hefty but a little too eager. All of the flavor was BOOM, right up front, and it was more green apple rind than anything. Good - maybe not my thing. — 3 years ago