Special Club Champagne: A commitment to quality Grower Champagne

Over the past 20+ years, Grower Champagne has really taken hold across the world. We are seeing an absolute explosion of producers making their own Champagne and making it at a very high level. Yet, it can be hard to figure out where to put your money as the sheer amount available is overwhelming. While you generally won’t go wrong with many producers, it can often feel like you’re throwing a dart at the board and hoping to hit the bullseye. How do you know that what you are about to buy is actually good? Well, look no further than using the Special Club as a barometer!

The Special Club was founded in 1971 in assess and promote quality growers in Champagne. 12 houses founded the Special Club so that they could get a better foothold in the market while over the years many top producers like Selosse and Pierre Peters have been a part of it (and have left). Today, it has 24 producers with 3 original producers (Paul Bara, Pierre Gimonnet, and Gaston Chiquet) still playing a key part of the group. It stands out for its excellence in promoting growers as the wine is supposed to be the top bottling from each estate, but it also doesn’t hurt that the wines are easily identifiable by their signature bottle style. This bottle style was adopted in 1985 as a way to stand out in the market. Like many things with the Special Club, even the bottles are treated with care as the glass to make the bottle comes from a specific supplier that meets its standards.

What sets the Special Club apart is its guidelines for entrance as this is the only organization in Champagne that selects its members based on set criteria (and if you deviate from that, you can’t be a part of it). It is about celebrating the range of diversity and terroir in Champagne. Therefore, you must grow all of your grapes and exclusively vinify the wines of harvest at your own Domaine. To be labelled as a Special Club, you must also bottle the wine solely as a vintage Champagne that passes two peer-reviewed tastings: the first being a Vin Clair (clear wine, aka still wine) before bottling and then a second panel tasting after a minimum of 3 years in bottle before releasing to the public. The tastings happen every February with the Club’s own enologist (since 2013, Philippe Benoit) making the final calls on the wines. This is important as the goal is to show off the producer and their terroir while maintaining a strict quality to put out to the market. Simply put, a poor Special Club is reflective of the Club as a whole (as the thought process goes). This quality assessment is strict to the point that not a single Special Club was made in 2003 as the vintage was deemed too rich and unbalanced.

While this could come across as a bit heavy handed or excessive, it does mean that the wine you buy will be really good! There is always plenty of room for house style and interpretation. You will find Special Club bottlings that are quite young as the producer may want you to experience their wine in its most primary and fresh stage. On the other hand, you do have producers like Charlier and Goutorbe who release wines that have 10-15+ years on them and show off more robust qualities that lean into their terroirs and house styles. Naturally, there is a whole lot in between. The range of producers is so wide that they cover 4 distinct wine growing regions in Champagne as well as utilizing whatever grape varietals the producer feels they need to best express themselves. You will come across wines that are 100% Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier along with a whole lot in between with several producers also bottling a Rose Special Club.

This diversity of producers, thought, styles, and terroir is what really ties the Special Club together. It is what makes them distinct even though the production of these bottlings is low. In fact, there are really only around 2000 bottles in total made across all producers in a year. Yet, the bottle shape and Special Club brand is noticeable and a statement of quality that it almost seems like there is a lot out there when in fact there isn’t much. The good thing us consumers is that there are long-standing importers like Skurnik and Kermit Lynch who bring in the wines as well as up and coming importers like Grace Under Pressure and FatCork passionately bringing in under the radar producers to provide us a fuller Special Club picture without having to necessarily visit Reims and the Club Tresors itself (though this is highly encouraged!).

Right now, we are in a golden era for Champagne where Growers are getting the respect they have long deserved. But it is a dynamic market where so much has happened in a short time that it is hard to keep track! Thankfully the Special Club exists to help us make good buying decisions while providing a platform for great producers to get their wines out into the world a bit easier than would otherwise happen without the group. So, what are you waiting for?! Go out and try a Special Club after reading this and let’s get a wider conversation going with Grower Champagne!!

Below are some recent Special Club tasting notes that moved me:

2006 Forget-Chemin Champagne Special Club- France, Champagne

This needed about a half hour to really rev up. When it did, it showed beautifully with a mature and refined sense to the tones of Brioche, red apples, Bosc pears, honeycomb, nectarines, quince, toast, yellow flowers, baking spices, vanilla extract, creams, and poached pears. This shows off excellent depth and layering that is more mature, yet expressive. The Medium bodied feel is rounded and balanced with crisp, h acid that is well integrated. This was flowing and at what is almost certainly its peak. It still retains a touch of freshness to the citrus, but the tones have harmonized and rounded out. (93 pts.)

2018 Forget-Chemin Champagne Special Club Rose- France, Champagne

This pours a lovely, salmon color. The nose is fresh and balanced with crushed rocks, red berries, red cherries, strawberries, biscuits, pears, red apples, roses, nectarines, toast, and some mineral notes. There is good depth, but this does favor more of a fresh and immediate take. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and lighter on its feet with crisp, high acidity. The acidity is mouthwatering and refreshing, but it still has a bit of sting. This is a Rose champagne that is more focused on the red fruits and citrus flavors than autolytics. I can see this benefitting from a few years of aging, but this doesn't feel like a champagne that should make old bones. (91 pts.)

2014 Sanchez-Le Guédard Pinot Noir Champagne Premier Cru Special Club Clos Saint Hélène- France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

This really blossomed after about a half hour opened. The nose is really pretty and refined with lovely and spring-like tones of peaches, nectarines, vanilla beans, toast, red apples, quince, pears, biscuits, a touch of brioche, and some yellow flowers. The nose really leans into the fruit without being “fruity” or “fruit forward” as it’s more about the gorgeous interplay between the citrus and autolytic notes. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced and refined with crisp, high acidity that has some lovely persistence. This really feels like it’s in a great zone. Sure, it can age longer. But it’s really complete right now and showing so much balance and poise. (92 pts.)

2013 A. Margaine Champagne Blanc de Blancs Special Club- France, Champagne

This has really come into its own since I last had it. There is a lot of fragrance and balance to the nose with red apples, Bosc pears, Meyer lemons, nectarines, yellow flowers, cinnamon spices, custard, and some birthday cake notes. There is excellent depth and definition as the tones are just working together beautifully. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and poised with tart, high acidity that is showing good integration. This is really in a groove right now. The autolytics have taken on a more mature sense to them and do a great job rounding out the base while the fruits have calmed down. (93 pts.)

2014 Famille Moussé Champagne Special Club Les Fortes Terres- France, Champagne

The nose is perfumed and flowing with well-balanced tones of baked apples, quince, spiced pears, nectarines, brioche, vanilla beans, nougat, and a fair bit of toast. There is excellent depth and poise to the nose that really draws you in. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance and depth of the nose with lovely and fresh, high acidity that doesn’t overpower. There is excellent balance and depth across the nose and palate that makes this a real joy to drink. This is firing on all cylinders, but with plenty of leg room to go further. (93 pts.)

2016 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Special Club Chouilly- France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

The nose is pristine, fresh, and balanced with a fair bit of precision to the tones of saline, red apples, crushed rocks, white fruits, pears, lemon peels, acacia flowers, warm pastry notes, fresh dough, and some baked bread. The autolytics provide a lovely base but without overwhelming the Medium bodied feel shows off the freshness of the nose along with racy, high acidity that has some real cut right now. While this could likely benefit from a few years of aging, it is also really friggin good right now. This certainly feels like there is some upside still and I would love to try this in another 3+ years. (93 pts.)