Champagne Marc Hebrart Special Club Brut Premier Cru 2018
93 pt Special Club Champagne from the always delivering Marc Hebrart!
Retail
Why We Love It...
Located in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, a Premier Cru village in the Vallee de la Marne, Champagne Marc Hebrart has long been a favorite producer of mine. Jean-Paul Hébrart took over the operations of Marc Hébrart Champagne from his father Marc back in 1997, though the estate has been producing under the Marc Hébrart name since 1964, and has been a regular selection of our favorite Champagne “Members Only” assembly – the revered Club Trésors de Champagne, a.k.a, Special Club – since 1985.
This 2018 Special Club bottling boasts a double 93 point score – but that’s just one of the reasons I’m excited to snag a couple of these. This house has been an emblematic grower/producer for decades and when one of the foremost experts in Champagne on this planet, Peter Liem, says “Hébrart’s wines have a broad appeal: if you like to think about your wines, they’re intellectually engaging enough to satisfy you; on the other hand, if you’re just looking to drink, they’re simply delicious. The wines are full and generous without being weighty, complex, and soil-driven without being demanding. Overall, the entire range is of consistently high quality, and represents excellent value for the money…” well… you listen!
A blend of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay, with pinot hailing from Premier Cru holdings around their base in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ – with plots that include Faubourg D’enfer, Croix Blanche, Pruche, and Haut de Varille, as well as the parcels of Le Mont and Les Hauts Berceaux from the nearby Louvois Grand Cru. The chardonnay originates from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ as well, with plots at Beauregard, Ramonette, Buisson Saint Loup, and Clef. The fruit is sorted and pressed, with fermentation occurring in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic conversion is allowed to occur naturally, with the wine aging for some 3 years on the lees. A finishing dosage of 6 grams per liter finishes the wine, and those extra cool magnum bottles of Special Club are ready to show off!
This wine explodes with a panoply of orchard fruit character – from baked apple tarts, to tart Granny Smith apples and creamy Bartlett pears. Whispers of cherries and raspberries compliment the fruit profile, with toasted almonds and brioche adding a depth of richness to the mouthfeel. Accents of crumbled chalk and oyster shell minerality keep the length holding on for days, and a bright undercurrent of lemons and tangerines give this a lively, energetic presence throughout. My streak of “no bad Special Clubs” continues…and this is just excellent drinking right here and now! Grab a couple, and invite me over whenever it is that you pop the cork…I’ll match you one for one!
Happy MLK Day, friends!
Scores
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