Classifying farmer fizz

[Brad Baker]

Andrew,

Hebrart has managed to triple their land holdings from 5ha to 15ha over the last thirty years and the increase wasn't in lesser areas either. A few rows here and there in top Premier and Grand Cru villages have resulted in a lot of choices for Jean-Paul Hebrart. This explains a good deal of the increase in different bottlings, production, and quality. The Special Club is still Jean-Paul's ultimate effort at making the best wine he can from all his holdings in a specific year. It is built on a backbone of Mareuil-sur-Ay with some Ay and Cote des Blancs added in. With the increase in holdings, he has been able to keep the quality of the Special Club high while also being able to make a few new wines to express a different style (Rive Gauche - Rive Droite) or more of a sense of place (Noces de Craie, Mes Favorites, Le Leon). As for the top wine in the range, Special Club isn't the most expensive anymore, but it still represents the ultimate expression of Hebrart to me and is a stunning value even in years that many say are 'lesser'. There have been years where I preferred another of his wines over the Special Club, but the magic of blending different sites, villages, and grapes is front and center with the Special Club and so fun to compare to his more 'specific' wines.