They also have (or had?) a rose named Indulgence which I adore.
Thanks for the great notes. The education was valuable, as always.
Jay, thanks for posting this, as I have yet to run into the Indulgence. Some of it exists in CT but I have yet to see it, including when I was at the winery last year. I’ll see if we can get someone in LA to find it.
Blake,
Great lineup and notes. I noticed that a number of the wines are labeled Special Club. I have not seen this label before, what does it mean?
Thanks.
That sounds great! I think a strong recommendation to bring magnums would be in order. 
Howard, the Special Club is comprised of a group of small growers that banded together to set some high standards for quality champagne starting in the vineyard and everything thereafter. Here’s a link with further details: Champagne's Special Club - Skurnik Wines & Spirits
Agreed. Mags are a great way to go, BUT for 14 people, that’s a lot fo bubbly. There is that ole saying “You can never have to much champagne” so maybe its not too much.
I think we have some ideas germinating here. The size of the group is a big consideration as well as the naturally right venue in the ideal location.
Blake, I am only recently getting more into this wonderful world of Champagne myself, but I always enjoy reading your posts and your tasting notes. I especially like the “mise en scene” quality of your writing. Nice touches that add to visualizing the experience vicariously. Appreciate your contributions to the many distinctive and interesting voices on this forum! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
-Jim
Blake, thanks.
In your experience, have these tended to be the best wines by these producers? I find interesting your comment that “I’ve noticed a common thread style amongst the Club members and this fell into that category being very rich and full bodied with lots of citrus and stone fruit delivered in a creamy texture”. It seems to me that one of the reasons to buy Champagnes from individual growers is to get diversity in style - that they producers will produce wines that reflect the terroir, personalities and even preferences of individual growers than will wines produced by LVMH or other large producers, no matter the quality of those wines. Are producers giving up some of the individuality of their wines by having to submit them to a tasting panel. The Skurnik link says no, but that does not seem to be your thinking, at least that is how I read the comment you wrote. Interested in your thoughts on this. Is something like this like GG in Germany that puts constraints on how top quality producers can produce wines labeled GG.
Jim, I sincerely appreciate your remarks. It has been my intention to write up the notes in such a way as I have better recall of the event/ dinner/ occasion and word it for the pictures and feelings I had at the time it occurred. Besides, I get to go through it at least twice and therefore have twice as much fun.
Howard, it was just my humble opinion that expressed what my experience has been over the years with champagnes from the Club members and I did back off a bit with my comment “Early on in my notes, I referred to a Club style which actually I’m retracting a bit as that is really not true for each and every member, but they most definitely go for a big, rich and full bodied style.”
Id be interested if others who have had lots of exposure to the Clubs bubbly what they have to say about any stylistic preference in general. As I understand it, before any one member can release a wine, it has to be approved by a panel and this is where I’m suggesting the panel goes for the big, rich and full bodied style. Again, just my humble opinion.
Thanks for your thoughts
There’s one additional input I left out. We stayed in the Goutorbe`s hotel in Ay called Hotel Castel Jeansen for 10 days while touring all over Champagne. Henri Gourtorbe took a liking to me and even though he spoke no English and me little French, we hit it off very well. Among other inclusions, he invited us to join in on a luncheon he hosted for a group of German food and wine writers in his cellar room and fortunately the common language was English for all but him, but his wife translated.
Henri delighted in sharing and pleasing those passionate about wine and thanks to his generosity, I drank a lot of his wines during the stay including many still Pinots that were 20 + years old and fantastic and they came from the Ay region. I never knew. I got some ideas and information about the Club from his family and some of my comments about a somewhat common style originated from that time and drinking many of them from a vast assortment of producers since.
interesting. Thanks.
And the Concordance NV, which is sans soufre.