Want to know which Champagnes to drink? Hint: They’re members of the ‘Special Club’
- Posted on
- By Emily Jensen
- Posted in champagne, france, Sparkling Wine, Special Club, Vintage Champagne

If you're searching for sparkling wine to celebrate a special occasion, look no further than 'Special Club' Champagne.
(Pictured: Olivier and Didier Gimonnet of Pierre Gimonnet et Fils. Didier and Olivier are third-generation growers and producers located in Cuis, in the northern Côte des Blancs. Their family owns some of the region’s oldest parcels.)
The majority of the nearly 20,000 producers in Champagne sell their grapes to large houses (think Taittinger, Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot). These “house-style” Champagnes are blended from various plots to ensure consistent taste year after year. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking these wines (pour any Champagne into my glass, please), they do not typically have the expression of terroir and craftsmanship for which estate-grown Champagnes are known.
This is where the roughly 5,000 producers who grow and produce wines themselves shine. Termed “grower Champagne” or “farmer fizz,” these wines are praised for their ability to reflect the characteristics of Mother Nature and the dedicated, expert hands and minds who create them.
But how is one to choose amongst the grower Champagnes?! Not surprisingly, the French have a refreshingly simple label (though not a simple process) for distinguishing prestige amongst the prestigious - it’s called the Special Club.
As with most things in life, it’s good to be a part of the Special Club.
The highest classification that grower Champagnes can achieve, its official name is Club de Trésors (“Club of Treasures”). It was established in 1971 by some of the oldest families in Champagne, under the name Club de Viticulteurs Champenois, to assess quality among particular growers in Champagne.
New members come and go each year… Currently, there are 24 members. And of the 12 founding members, only three remain: Pierre Gimonnet, Gaston Chiquet and Paul Bara.
To be classified as a Special Club Champagne, the cuvée must:
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Be produced with grapes from outstanding vintages
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Be harvested from the member's own vineyards
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Be bottled and aged at the member's estate (including a minimum of three years aging on lees)
Furthermore, the wines must pass two rigorous stages of selection. Before that happens, members gather each February to taste each other’s still wines from the previous vintage. If and only if the members unanimously deem the vintage ‘outstanding’, will they declare a vintage-dated Champagne. If a vintage year is declared, the process for Special Club selection begins.
Wines are then tasted blind (of course) at different stages of development by a panel of various wine professionals and enologists.
Needless to say, we are thrilled to be carrying a handful of these incredible Special Club Champagnes. In no particular order:
Champagne Salmon 2015 Special Club Brut
Champagne Salmon 2015 Special Club Brut Rosé, Saignée de Meunier
Gaston Chiquet 2015 Special Club Grand Cru Brut Millésime
Hervieux-Dumez 2016 Special Club Brut Millésimé
Moussé Fils 2017 Special Club, Les Fortes Terres Brut (100% Meunier)
Paul Bara 2015 Special Club Brut Grand Cru
Paul Bara 2018 Spécial Club Rosé Grand Cru
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils 2016 Special Club Grands Terroirs de Chardonnay
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils 2016 Special Club Cramant Grand Cru
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils 2017 Special Club Oger Grand Cru
Marc Hebrart 2018 Special Club Brut Millésime, Champagne, France 1.5L (Magnum)