Mission Codename To the Louvre and back
Let’s make it clear: Grower Champagne is NOT Champagne. Farmer Fizz, as it’s fondly known, carries a sense of intangible style and terroir. The big houses want consistency. The growers aim for style and unique expression.
And Hébrart is NOT your average artisan grower either. This 96 point bottle of bubbly brilliance is a testament to that.
This house and its wines are living legends. They make fine wines that also happen to have ultrafine bubbles. And this cuvée of “Mes Favorites” (my favorites) is akin to a visit to the Louvre… art dominates in every which way you look, smell and taste.
Forget what we think for a minute here. Enchanted, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate writes “Ever since, a half dozen years ago, I began experiencing the wines of Jean-Paul Hébrart, it has struck me that the praise generally accorded them is too faint to do justice to Champagnes exhibiting perhaps so much sheer deliciousness that commentators simply overlook their profundity or forget how hard it is to achieve, vintage after vintage, such consistent clarity not to mention excellence.”
The high praise doesn’t stop there: “Most of wines here that aren’t labeled with vintages are still each dominated by a single one. Hébrart’s vines grow in Chouilly, neighboring Oiry, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Malolactic transformation is routine at this address and selected cuvées see small barrel, neither of which practices here preclude wines of utmost transparency to nuance, or ones that ever forget their first duty to refresh.”
What else is there left to say?
Oh yes, a tasting note.
Pale lemon yellow with shades of white gold glimmering through a steady fine bead. A mesmerizing bouquet of spring blossoms meld with lemon curd, brioche, and flint. The mousse is uplifting, as layers of citrus, stone fruits, and nutmeg unfurl with precision. Even the empty glass lingers ethereally with a bouquet that only the finest can achieve. Decadently creamy cheeses, dried fruits, and nuts, or anything your intuition points to…
At 35% off the already fair release price, it falls under $50 – where great Champagne can rarely be had. This is guaranteed to deliver utmost indulgence for the buck.
Awarded a Cup de Cœur by La Revue du Vin de France, a designation equal to the vinous version of a Légion d’honneur, a level achieved only by the best Champagnes in the world.
Grab all you can - you will thank us later.
96 Points – The Champagne Guide 2020-2021
“Behind the village of Mareuil, directly under the vineyards, a sheer chalk cliff stands as a dramatic and stark testimony to the profound terroir that forms the bedrock of what is the greatest premier cru of all. To drink JeanPaul Hébrart’s new cuvée is an equally profound experience of the confronting minerality of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The ability of the deep roots of old vines to extract the chalk signature of the terroir of great sites is remarkable indeed, and Hébrart bores to the very core of the chalk of Mareuil. Old vines infuse sensational concentration, too, rippling and rumbling with layers of generous white peach, fig and layers of spice. Chalk brings dynamic freshness to this succulent generosity, holding pronounced persistence and impeccable line. It’s little wonder that these plots, Hébrart’s most representative of his village, are the closest to his heart. Mes Favorites, indeed. Mine too.”
93 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The softly spoken and unassuming Marc Hébrart purchased his first vines at the age of 17 and took over the reins at his father’s small Mareuil-sur-Aÿ domaine in 1998. Members of the Special Club since 1985, the Hébrart family have long been serious growers, but Marc has taken the estate to new heights. He works the soils and employs synthetic products only at flowering to protect the crop. “I need to have a good crop so I have enough grapes to make choices in the cellar,” he explains. He uses only organic fertilizers and debuds to limit yields. And he’s trying to build up his stocks so he can offer older vintages for sale, thinking that their reserves constitute one of the important advantages of the grandes marques. The Hébrart style is supremely—even deceptively—charming, emphasizing pretty fruit tones and structured around succulent acids. Yet the wines reward contemplation, too, and age very well indeed. All the releases here come warmly recommended. The NV Brut Premier Cru Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes is a new cuvée for Hébrart that’s well worth seeking out, derived from superior, south-facing sites in Mareuil-sur-Ay that also inform his Special Club bottling. The inaugural released, based on the 2014 vintage, is showing very well, wafting from the glass with aromas of apples, pears, tangerine, white flowers, spice and pastry cream. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated and nicely structured, with good cut and dry extract, as well as all the charm that defines the house style. Drink 2020-2035.”
What the Winery Says
‘Mes Favorites’ Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes
- Winemakers
- Jean-Paul Hébrart
- Vintages
- 2014 (60%), 2013 (20%), 2012 (20%)
- Cépages
- 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay.
- Appellation
- Vallée de la Marne
- Villages
- Premier Cru Mareuil-sur-Aÿ
- Soils
- Clay and limestone
- Alcohol
- 12%
- Average vine age
- 70+ years old vine
- Malolactic
- 100%
- Maturation
- 24 months sur latte
- Dosage
- 7 g/l (Brut)
- Disgorged in
- April 2018