J. Lassalle - Brut 1er Cru "Special Club" Champagne 2013 750ML (12.5% ABV)
we could only get 6 bottles
Lassalle’s Champagnes tell a family story that can be traced back to founder Jules Lassalle, grandfather of current winemaker Angéline Templier. The common thread through the generations is the elegance and finesse that characterize each bottling—a result of meticulous work in the vines and cellar. The Spécial Club represents an elite association of growers who abide by such strict standards of quality, and the pedigree is evident with this 2013 release. It is a cellar selection of the estate’s best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—a lively, gloriously textured Champagne exuding the class and refinement consistent with generations of family tradition.
Family-owned since 1942, the Lassalle family has been crafting elegant, terroir-driven bubbles for 70+ years from their sixteen premier cru hectares. Now headed by Angéline Templier, the estate has been headed exclusively by women for the past thirty years. Plots are vinified separately and aged for a minimum of five years.
Special Club Champagnes Explanation: Special Club Champagne is the highest tier of classification that grower Champagnes can achieve. These champagnes offer incredible value, considering that they are small production, single vintage and the top offering of each producer. The official name is Club de Trésors, or Club of Treasures. Established in 1971 under the name Club de Viticulteurs Champenois, to assess quality among growers in Champagne.
The wines must pass two rigorous stages of blind tasting selection to be named Special Club Champagne. The 28 Club Members gather each February to blindly taste each other’s still wines from the previous vintage. The members vote on whether to declare a vintage year, which would mean that the vintage was outstanding, and worthy enough of a vintage (dated) Champagne. The vote must be unanimous. If a vintage year is declared, the process for Special Club selection begins.
First, the panel tastes the vin clairs, the still wines before they undergo a secondary fermentation. At this point, the panel identifies the best wines and weeds out wines that are sub-par. The second blind-tasting stage takes place after three years of bottle aging. If the wine is identified as excellent unanimously by the panel, it can be bottled in a dedicated Special Club bottle, whose design is based on one from the 18th century!
50 year old vines in clay and limestone
region: Chigny les Roses, Champagne, France
varietal: 60% Pinot Noir 40% Chardonnay
style: sparkling (traditional method)
farming/cellar: sustainable farming,
pairing: turkey club (with the extra layer of bread) from the lobby bar at hotel Chelsea