The Special Club classification is widely regarded as the highest honor a Champagne can receive. With only 28 grower-producer members, this exclusive club is dedicated to producing wines of exceptional quality. Special Club Champagne is only made in the most outstanding vintages and must pass a rigorous tasting panel that includes all club members, wine professionals, and an enologist. After 2008, the next vintage to earn Special Club status wasn’t until 2015.

Founded in 1892 in the Vallée de la Marne, Charlier et Fils is now run by the fifth generation. They follow traditional methods, using native fermentation and aging wines in large oak barrels, which adds a beautiful roundness, unlike many modern producers who use commercial yeast and stainless steel. This 2008 ‘Special Club’ was sourced from the oldest vines in the best plots of the Charlier family holdings. With 70% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir, and 15% Pinot Meunier and a remarkable fourteen years of aging, this is a magnificently complex Champagne with notes of brioche, rich caramelized hazelnut and meyer lemon zest.