Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I’ve started to enjoy Marc Herbrart Champagne’s in the last six months. There are just over 20,000 grower producers in Champagne…hard to try them all in many lifetimes. Basically, impossible. I picked up some of his 2019 Blanc de Noirs today on Last Bubbles for $79…used a coupon and got the free ship. I bought two of these at Costco last weekend for $56.99. Had a glass at the end of last Friday night w/ friends. Enjoyed it, but wanted to taste it and write notes with a clean palate.

This lives up to that price point and slightly exceeds it. 91.5 rounding up to 92.

The nose has a sour Lemonhead candy quality (that’s a 1st time wine descriptor for me), white stone fruits-peach, nectarine, lime zest, cream, honeydew, brioche, saline, chalk, sea fossils, ginger, hues of ginger ale, white Spring flowers with greens.

The palate shows nice mousse…crisp. It leans into reductive but flashes some oxidative quality. White stone fruits-peach, nectarine, Meyer lemon, lime zest, lychees, Rainer cherries, some apple cider, bruised Bosc pear, cream, honeydew, pineapple juice, brioche, some caramel saline, gritty chalk-limestone-volcanics minerals, sea fossils, white spice-ginger with some palate punch, ginger ale notes, jasmine, white Spring flowers with greens with a well balanced, knitted, polished and elegant finish that lands dead smack on minerality and lasts two-minutes.

One thing I have been meaning to bring into the light with a post on Champagnes in general but haven’t yet is, I studied the hell out of French Wine Winemaking Laws. Perhaps, the strictest or at least one of the most restrictive in the world…growing, labeling, certain varietals for certain wines. Basically 3 grapes are primarily used in Champagne but 7 are allowed; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Pinot Meunier are the primary ones and Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are the ancillary ones. 5 grapes only in Bordeaux blends and you cannot irrigate there either. You get what the season gives you. Having said all that, there seems to be some allowed leeway in Champagne labeling…Extra Brut, Brut and Demi-Sec etc.. Nature is 0 to 3g, Extra Brut is 3 to 6g and Brut is 6-9g etc. This Marc Herbrart is 5.5g, which technically makes it Extra Brut. Yet it’s labeled Brut. I see this all the time. I regularly see champagnes labeled Brut that are 10-11g or more. So, if you care about the sweetness level of your Champagne, you should probably read up on the champagne you’re about to buy. Given how strict French Wine Laws are, I find this a little baffling.

This Marc Hebrart received its cork March 2, 2023 and as I mentioned, its dosage is 5.5g.

Photos of; Champagne House-Marc Herbrart, the man himself-Marc Herbrart, perfect vineyard Chardonnay grapes & vista of their vineyard(s). What rows!!! — 2 days ago

Vanessa

9.7

When we visited Billecart-Salmon in October of 2021, we received a tour of the stunning estate. Along the way, our guide, Jerome, paused near a traditional “Clos” (a single vineyard, enclosed by a wall) on the property. 

We could see a beautiful stone wall, surrounding a tiny 1 hectare parcel of “Clos Saint Hilaire,” named after the Patron Saint of the local church in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where Billecart-Salmon is located. 

Although we didn’t go into the Clos, we learned about how special this parcel is to the family; how it’s exclusively planted to Pinot Noir with vines dating back to 1964; how work in the vineyard is performed by hand and horse-drawn plows; how this parcel is farmed according to an age-old savoir-faire, adhering to principles of sustainable viticulture.

The wine is pale gold with a prominent bouquet of yellow apple, Anjou pear, raspberry, lemon curd, white peach, white blossom, desiccated white rose, wet stones, biscuit, brioche, almond paste, marzipan, crusty croissant, pie crust, toast, creamy texture and persistent, fine-beaded mousse and long elegant finish.

This is a 2005 “Blanc de Noirs” Champagne, comprised of 100% Pinot Noir, all coming from Le Clos Saint Hilaire, vinified entirely in oak casks to lend texture and body, and aged 170 months (more than 14 years!) sur lie prior to its recent release.  Due to the vineyard’s small size, production is very limited, and wine only produced in the best vintages.

Cheers to beautiful wines expressing a singularity of time and place!

Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint Hilaire (2005).  — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Steve Rura

9.2

Always good. Green apple jolly rancher, but dry and layered. Strong mineral nose with some sulfur. Great bubbles with a dried apricot and lemon peel finish. — 2 months ago

Mario Zillner

9.5

Very surprised by this, but I guess no Mark Hébrart should be all that surprising. Definitely punches above its weight class, and has many similarities to the 2012/2013 PRSWC. Alluring freshness and vibrancy coupled with a shocking level depth and roundness. Very well balanced all-around; looking forward to cellaring the 2019s. Mouthfeel is pure velvet via a delightfully soft / oily texture. 60% Pinot Noir + 40% Chardonnay; Dosage: 4-6 g/l. Disgorged: 1/18/22 — 4 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Again slightly deeper colour . Quite rich and ripe on the nose with brioche , baked apple , lemon peel , touch of honeysuckle. On the palate more baked apple , lemon peel , ginger . Quite rich and decadent almost , but balanced acidity , creamy texture . Buttered pastry and lemon tart . Good ginger tinged finish . This will need more time than the Leon , quite dense and rich . Better in 5-8 years and will last well a further 10 — 7 months ago

Graham

9.1

Opened and had a small glass. Closed with good seal and glass on second night was noticeably better. — a year ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Disgorged Jan 17 this was rich with a touch of the Selosse ox — 2 months ago

J Matt Nickels

9.5

Fantastic out of a magnum. Brie & water cracker and bubbles! — 2 months ago

Vanessa

9.5

Happy New Year’s Eve to you all! 🎉

To celebrate the holiday, we’re popping this special bottle of bubbles we’ve been eager to try. 😝

It’s Champagne Philipponnat’s 2004 vintage champagne made with 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay hailing from a single clos – Clos des Goisses – surrounded by a traditional stone wall in the Village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.  🍾

Talk about a singularity of place!  It was first produced as a single vineyard wine in 1935, a pioneering approach for a Champagne House in a land known for regional blending.

After fermentation, this wine aged on the lees for 10 YEARS in Philipponnat’s historic cellars in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ; a Premier Cru Village of the Grand Vallée de la Marne, located on the southerly flank of the Montagne de Reims, where Pinot Noir dominates like in the Grande Montagne.

Okay for the tasting note!  Wow. 🤯 It has pastry, brioche, nougat, and marzipan for days, next to toasted almond, lemon curd, white peach, baked yellow apple, dried chamomile, blossom, and wet slate notes. Despite its unequivocal richness, it has a spine of acidity lending balance and brightness.
 
Cheers to 2025; may it be filled with hope, health, joy, adventure, and amazing sips! 🍾🥂 — 6 months ago

with Deked1

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

First tasting of an Oregon PN. I can't say if this one is characteristic or not, one thing is for sure, we are far from our taste landmarks such as burgundy Sancerres etc. Very focussed on black fruits, pepper, intense vegetable notes, a freshness still marked even after 6 years, the tannins are still firm even today. All the sliders seem pushed and would recall some Languedoc wines by its prominent yet balanced profile. The finish is remarkable. An intense lively and half-bodied wine, although a little expensive to my taste.

Première dégustation d’un PN d’Oregon. Je ne saurais dire si celui-ci est caractéristique ou non, une chose est sur, on est loin de nos repères gustatifs type bourgeonne Sancerres etc. Très porté sur les fruits noirs, le poivre, des notes végétales intenses, une fraîcheur encore marquée même après 6 ans, les tanins sont fermes même encore aujourd’hui. Tous les curseurs semblent poussés et rappellerait certains vins du Languedoc par son profil proéminent quoique équilibré. La finale est remarquable. Un vin vif et demi-corsé intense, quoiqu’un peu cher à mon goût. — 3 years ago