Champagne Henri Goutorbe, “Special Club” Grand Cru Sale

Champagne Henri Goutorbe, “Special Club” Grand Cru

“Special Club.” For those who keep their ears to the ground, no further convincing is needed, because a distinctively shaped bottle carrying these two words instantly qualifies as one of the most respected champagnes on earth. Out of the many thousands of growers that bottle champagne, just 28 are currently members of this highly exclusive group. Henri Goutorbe is among them. 

In the incredible 2008 vintage, Goutorbe began a ruthless vetting process to put this extraordinary Grand Cru prestige cuvée in a patented “Special Club” bottle. We’ll talk more about that below; for now, all you need to know is that this hails from one of the most acclaimed vintages of the 21st century, and is entirely sculpted from Grand Cru Aÿ fruit that aged nearly a dozen years in Goutorbe’s chalk caves. The results are stupendous: This is a savory, mellow, and richly textured Champagne for those who lean towards the luxe side of the spectrum. From what I’ve been told, this is the final parcel of ’08 that America will receive. We don’t have much to share. No more than six bottles per person.

Have you ever asked why certain French wines warrant $100 price tags? For Burgundy, it’s the hallowed vineyards that have been decreed as the finest terroirs for centuries. As for Bordeaux, the focus lies on the châteaux and the monarchical classification that elevated the best of them. Champagne is a looser version of both—Grand Cru villages, historical intrigue, and an unofficial hierarchy of talent—coupled with the fact that it’s such an alluring drink. However, I could make a strong argument that Champagne is the most deserving of a triple-digit price tag, solely because of the time-intensive labor it takes to produce top bottlings like Goutorbe’s 2008. 

Now, onto the “Spécial Club.” Known as Club Trésors de Champagne, this certainly qualifies as one of the most rigorous wine organizations in France. Other than being one of the 28 qualifying members—which only happens through private invitation—a series of fortunate events must occur should you want to display “Spécial Club” on your label. First, it must be a Vintage Champagne from a year deemed worthy by the committee. Second, your wine must be blind-tasted twice by a nonpartisan panel of enologists and winemakers—once as a base wine and then again after three years of lees aging in bottle. If it is unapproved at either stage, your wine no longer qualifies for the Spécial Club. However, if it does meet all of the requirements, you qualify to use the club’s specially designed (and trademarked) squat bottle.

If that wasn’t already enough, René Goutorbe, the son of Henri and the proprietor of Champagne H. Goutorbe since the 1970s, once served as the president of Club Trésors! Today, his estate sits at 25 hectares, six of which are in their home village of Grand Cru Aÿ. These six hectares supplied today’s 2008 bottling, which consists of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. Following fermentation in stainless steel, the resulting wine was blended and transferred into bottle where it underwent secondary fermentation and a subsequent maturation that lasted nearly a dozen years. It was disgorged in late 2020, corked, given a Brut-level dosage, and allowed to rest several more months before exiting their cellar doors. Two-plus years of post-disgorgement aging has turned this into a richer, more sublime Champagne.

Champagne authority Tom Stevenson declares that “Henri Goutorbe is one of the more important growers,” making “excellent rich, well-structured Champagnes” that are “always satisfying to drink.” But when it comes to Goutorbe’s Grand Cru Spécial Club, he always puts them “in a different class.” Today’s 2008 is one such bottling. The mousse is soft and generous, the nose ripe and giving, and the palate full, lush, wonderfully savory, and remarkably energetic. You can expect creamy, mellow notes of green and red apple, baked yellow pear, lees, pie crust, white flowers, hazelnut, nougat, crushed white stone, and a touch of button mushroom. This opulent and sublime stunner is to be enjoyed now and over the next 5+ years—I suspect its 20th birthday will unlock its final stage of tertiary aromas. Cheers!