Let's be honest, we are all looking for something special, something exclusive that not everyone can have. In an age where it seems that just about anything is accessible, when you find a rare gem, it's worth celebrating! This holiday season, I am featuring a few exclusive Special Club champagnes to make the season a little more cheery and festive. What is a Special Club Champagne? I can't wait to share with you...
The history of Champagne (both the region and the beverage) has many incredibly interesting stories, facts and myths that an oenophile and history buff like myself cannot get enough of! Without going into the long-winded version, the story of how the Special Club bottles by the Club Tresors came to be is rather interesting!
A friend of mine, Christine (owner of Grace Under Pressure, an exclusively Special Club importer) explains this club in a nut shell.
Since 1971, a select group of small, family-owned producers in Champagne have made wines with the utmost standards of quality. Beginning with 12 families with deep histories of winemaking in the region, the group set out to showcase terroir by presenting wines that were made from the grower’s own fruit, as opposed to large production blends sourced throughout the region, like the traditional Champagne houses.
This prestigious group now encompasses 26 grower-producers from throughout Champagne. Beyond the requirement of only making wine in the producer’s own cellar with estate fruit, stringent blind tasting panels must be passed in order to bottle as Special Club.
Essentially, only the best of the best champagne houses can make a Special Club bottle and are only allowed to do so in years of optimal growing conditions. After that, these wines are still subject to two rounds of blind tastings before they are approved and given the prestigious title of "Special Club." These wines truly earn their name.
I selected this bottle a few months ago and have been anticipating its arrival. It is a gorgeous cranberry red color, layered with textures and flavors, notes of strawberry and watermelon, and has nuances that can only be described by your taste buds.
