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Wine Description
The Story
The Champagne "Special Club" vintage is a blend of the most outstanding wines from an exceptional year. Composed of wines from 6 to 8 vineyards, this very exclusive Champagne is rarely made due the exacting standards ensured by the "Club des Viticulteurs Champenois" - an exclusive club of only 40 members, grouped from all parts of Champagne with one common aim: to create the greatest Champagnes.
Fruit of a severe selection, it is "the optimal expression of our soils". The blend is composed exclusively of Chardonnay, mostly from "Cramant Grand Cru" and old vines (50% of our vines are over 40 years old, the two "doyennes" are 100 years old ...). 20 to 30% of the blend comes from our "Cuis 1er Cru" vineyard.
The "Champagne Special Club" is indeed very special! The bubbles are miniscule and persistent, giving rise to a perfect, firm, mousse - a characteristic of a truly great "blanc de blancs". The nose is extremely elegant, with clean, deep enchanting fruit aromas. On the palate the fine exquisite bubbles tickle the tongue in a symphony of tiny explosions that are ever persistent! On the the palate this Champagne is perfection, with great depth and masses of flavour balancing the liveliness into a long rich and elegant finish. An extremely charming Champagne that ages with great dignity, developing classic Burgundy characteristics.
Vintage 2000
A warm and wet winter was followed by an equally wet spring. First, in May, came the seri- ous heat, which gave a fast owering around June 14. Chlorosis and mold growth were evi- dent. June and August were hot and dry. But if you were like me, and tried to have a July vaca- tion in Champagne that year, you noticed how cold and rainy it was. The weather was almost as bad as at home, with constant rain and local hailstorms.
Everything looked hopeless, but the good weather during harvest saved a decent amount of fresh grapes. Harvest started on my birthday—September 11—and ended in early October. Chardonnay and pinot meunier did better than the delicate pinot noir. The year will become sought after thanks to their magic number. The quality does not look too fancy yet though. The wines are quite light with short lives. However, it is a very enjoyable moment, with its intense exotic aromas of passion fruit and tangerine. I am delighted to recommend some romantic bottles of the successful pink trio William Deutz Rosé, Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé, and Pommery Cuvée Louise Rosé.
by Richard Juhlin/