Description
Champagne Marc Hébrart, Premier Cru “Clos Le Léon”
Call me dramatic, but I was in total awe after tasting tonight’s secretive, never-before-seen flagship cuvée from Champagne Marc Hébrart. My take? It’s an arresting and complex masterpiece that deserves to be reverentially discussed alongside the region’s most iconic Blanc de Blancs. But before we delve into the specifics of this momentous new release, I must reiterate that when it comes to the prestige label of top grower-producers, the competition is ruthlessly fierce.
Champagne has never seen quality, pedigree, and prices of this magnitude, nor has there been a time in history where the region has been more exhaustively studied and analyzed. Accordingly, champagne luminaries have their noses to the grindstone and their ears to the ground in hopes of discovering “the next big thing.” I’m thrilled to announce that “thing” is Marc Hébrart’s first-ever release of “Clos Le Léon,” and at this very moment, it still eludes many of Champagne’s most vigilant cognoscenti!
Sitting at less than one hectare, this walled Premier Cru vineyard was kept confidential by proprietor Jean-Paul Hébrart for many years, as he had grand visions of it one day becoming the flagship cuvée of his elite-tier, globally revered Champagne lineup. Before that could become a reality, he had to painstakingly restore and replant this forgotten heritage site; wait for a phenomenal growing season in 2014; ferment the wine in the finest French oak, and then age it quietly on lees for six years. It has just now been made available for purchase in select markets. This may turn out to be the finest recherché collectible they’ve released yet, so don’t be surprised when you, too, are awed into silence when tasting this—be it now or in a decade.
When Champagne expert Peter Liem called Marc Hébrart “one of the finest estates in the Grande Vallée,” that meant he was putting them up against megastars Billecart-Salmon, Philipponnat, Dom Pérignon, Georges Laval, Bollinger—essentially, names that grace every Michelin-star wine list. Not only do I agree with Liem, but I’m also prepared to go a step further by placing Marc Hébrart among the finest estates in all of Champagne. Over the last decade, they’ve been downright fascinating to watch as they’ve released multiple bottles that hold a spot in my all-time favorites list: the powerful “Noces de Craie,” the impeccably balanced “Rive Gauche-Rive Droite,” and now, I must include the debut of their “Clos Le Léon.”
“Le Léon” caught Jean-Paul Hébrart’s eyes back in the mid-2000s, as it was an enviable south-facing micro-climate in Premier Cru Dizy. The walled, western tip of the vineyard had been divided into three tiny parcels measuring 0.8 hectares in total, and his dream was to restore them to their former glory. After replanting to Chardonnay and then analyzing the young yet superb crop for several years, the site’s massive potential was fully realized in 2014.
In this beautiful vintage, he hand-harvested his sustainably farmed Premier Cru Chardonnay and conducted an alcoholic fermentation (no malolactic) in French oak barrels. After seven months of maturing, the resulting wine was transferred into bottle in the Spring of 2015. From here, it was allowed to develop sur lie for six years until disgorgement and a four-gram dosage.
If you want the full effect of Hébrart’s exciting new flagship cuvée, rummage around your stemware collection and pull out a flared tulip, an all-purpose stem, or a larger Burgundy glass. I personally opt for the latter because as much of a bubble fiend I am, there’s something incredibly exquisite and revealing about a high-quality Champagne that has lost some carbonation, especially at a warmer temperature (~55 degrees). To me, they drink finer and more sublime, and one can get an honest sense of the quality since there are fewer bubbles “masking” the nuanced flavors.
In the glass, this 2014 “Clos Le Léon,” pours a resplendent straw yellow with flashes of silver emphasizing its seriousness. Still, do your best to hold off for several minutes, swirling gently once or twice, and again, making sure the drinking temperature is at least 50 degrees. You’ll uncover sublime, perfectly delineated aromas of sliced yellow pear, creamy yellow apple, Meyer lemon curd, marzipan, and stirred lees on top of a powerful sub-layer of wet stones, pulverized chalk, oyster shell, and fresh yellow flowers. The palate is broad-shouldered and intense with ample depth of orchard fruit and crushed minerals to each layer. The finish refuses to relent and seemingly has the energy to stretch into infinity—if you had the willpower to stop yourself from another sip. In all seriousness, it’s an incredible, profoundly moving flagship wine that deserves to be in conversation with Champagne’s all-time heavyweights in due time. Savor now and over the next dozen years. Cheers!
