Cru De La Vallée Du Rhône

Château de Montfaucon

Baron Louis Cru Des Côtes du Rhône Lirac Red Rhone Blend 2014

Rich and ripe red cherry aromas and flavors, firm yet ripe tannic structure, very nice length, this has improved — a lot — since my last bottle, medium-long finish, very fine Lirac!! — 2 months ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Ira, Tom and 4 others liked this

Gaston Chiquet

Blanc de Blancs d'Aÿ Grand Cru Brut Champagne 2019

2019 disgorge, improved day 2 — 6 months ago

Severn liked this

Gatinois

Aÿ Grand Cru Brut Champagne Blend

J Choi
9.2

Almost rose color. — 8 months ago

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.

— 2 months ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Vin and 16 others liked this
Vanessa

Vanessa

@David T Isn’t that interesting considering it has more than doubled in membership since then and seems to be a successful venture. Do you why the other founders left?
David T

David T Influencer Badge

In no way did I mean to lessen SC bottling’s if it was interpreted that way. There are producer ego driven personalities intermixing here and that accounts for the fair amount of change. I believe there are still 29 SC producers.
Vanessa

Vanessa

@David T Oh I was truly just curious! It is an interesting fact. 😆 🥂 Thank you for sharing it.

Gonet-Médeville

Brut Blanc de Noirs 1er Cru Pinot Noir Champagne

Crisp, dry finish. Silkiness underneath. Well balanced — 9 months ago

A. Margaine

Le Brut 1er Cru Champagne Blend

Jeremy Shanker
9.1

A killer NV entry level — 6 months ago

Henri Goutorbe

Cuvée Prestige 1er Cru Brut Champagne Blend

Wonderful! They talk about Champagne that “belongs on the dinner table,” and this is one. We paired it with a Korean roast pork (Bo Ssam) and it was magnificent. Bright and powerful, it was the perfect fool for the rich and delicious pork. I’m pretty sure it would be just as tasty if you drank it on its own! — 6 months ago

Georges Laval

Brut Nature Cumières 1er Cru Champagne Blend

Disgorged 2022. Absolutely goddamn delicious. Balanced, not austere; deep, not showy. Lovely. — 7 months ago

Ira, Peter and 2 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Enjoying Rothko with champagne. It does not get better…
Al Doyle

Al Doyle

Yes @Peter van den Besselaar my wife and I just came back from the Rothko exhibition in Paris, bought this champagne from a fantastic shop in the 13th arr. called Delicatessen Cave, well worth a visit 🙌

Henri Goutorbe

Special Club Grand Cru Brut Champagne Blend 2008

Happy birthday, Mrs romo! 🎉 — 9 months ago

Aaron, Steve and 8 others liked this