2017 Mousse Fils Champagne Meunier Special Club Lieu-dit Les Fortes Terres

“Made from 100% Meunier, the 2017 Champagne Spécial Club  has a delicate approach, with its layers unfolding gently from the glass. Initially it displays notes of wet stone, pretty flowers, and delicate fresh raspberry fruits. The palate has more tension and nerve that suggests this will take more time to open, but I love its racier feel. It is linear, though not without its fruit wrapped around its backbone of minerality and acidity.” Jeb Dunnuck 95

Whenever a sparkling wine connoisseur sees a distinctively shaped bottle with the hallowed words “Spécial Club,” they immediately know they’re dealing with one of the most respected, exclusive, hard-won champagnes on earth. Out of Champagne’s many thousands of growers, less than 30 are currently allowed to bottle a “Spécial Club,” and nobody (yes, nobody) can hold a candle to Moussé Fils when it comes to Pinot Meunier. 

A few words about the producer:

A grower since 1750, Champagne Moussé sits in the village of Cuisles, in a valley perpendicular to the Vallée de la Marne. This side valley has a unique soil in Champagne: a schist subsoil under clay. While Meunier often struggles to be taken seriously in Champagne, at Moussé, Meunier is celebrated. 80% of the vines planted are Meunier, with the balance planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

This agency is the first member of Club Trésors de Champagne to make a Spécial Club wine of 100% Pinot Meunier and the first Club member to produce a Rosé de Saignée Spécial Club. In the vineyards, Cedric Moussé adheres to a ‘lutte raisonée’ approach. He practices organic viticulture, using herbal infusions that act as ‘vitamins’ for the vines, cover crops, zero pesticides, and minimal doses of heavy metals like copper. His new winery, completed in 2012 may be deceiving; the modern facility leads us to believe this is a new operation. Solar panels power the cellar, tasting room, and 2 houses on the property, while geothermal energy moderates temperature throughout the winery. An underground spring provides enough water for irrigation on the farm. Moussé works almost exclusively in stainless steel, with the exception of a small amount of Pinot Meunier destined for his rosé. All cuvées undergo malolactic fermentation. The resulting wines seem to gush with red and dark fruits characteristic of Pinot Meunier, and a structured, saline minerality.