Monte 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
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 — a day ago
Romano Dal Forno
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Very dense and black in colour. These wines always remind me of Fruit and Nut milk chocolate. The colour makes you think full bodied but it’s actually light to medium bodied. A luscious mouth filling palate with the savoury milk chocolate together with notes of raisin and date. Supple yet persistent tannins. Reminiscent of a Priorat Garnacha in some respects. — 21 days ago
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From Charleston Food and Wine Classic…Biscuit and Bubbles tasting. — 9 days ago
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Easy drinking light great value — 15 days ago
François Chidaine
Les Tuffeaux Montlouis-sur-Loire Chenin Blanc 2020
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. — 14 days ago
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Domaine de la Taille aux Loups
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Drinking crazy good now. Rich, layered, early season crisp pear, white peach, floral. This is better than the last bottle a year ago, and is pushing 9.4 — a month ago
Willie Carter
Another beautiful champagne from the Launois family. A pale old gold color with nice perlage and intensity. Freshly baked bread and green apple aromas for days. Melons and white peaches with herbs for good measure. There’s an innate sense of lemon zest in the air that’s just magnificent.
Pure Grand Cru Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger. Four years of aging on lees gives this a resplendent and stately nature. Nice acidity and a superb mouthfeel, especially on the second day. Apples and chalk on the palate alongside vibrant citrus fruits. I struggle to think of a better value in Champagne than this. Stock up. — 14 days ago