2012 A Margaine Special Club
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Disgorged in July 2019 with eight grams per liter dosage, Margaine's 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Special Club derives from four Villers-Marmery lieux-dits: Vardelles, Chemin de Verzy, Champs d'Enfer and Ruelles. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of crisp green apple, oyster shell, wet stones, bee pollen and fresh sourdough, the wine is full-bodied, muscular and tight-knit, with considerable concentration, incisive acids and a long, mineral finish. This is a racy, intense and structured wine that really needs some time to unwind—at least a year, preferably more—but it's very promising; indeed, this is the finest wine I've tasted from Margaine.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2012 Spécial Club is 100% Chardonnay from Villers Marmery done mostly in steel, with about 20% of the wine vinified in oak. It is one of the most finessed Champagnes I have ever tasted from Margaine. Aromatically explosive and deep, the Spécial Club is captivating from the very first taste. There is a level of precision and nuance here that is just remarkable. All of the breeding of Avize Chardonnay comes through loud and clear as this weightless, gracious Champagne shows off its arrestingly beautiful personality. Disgorged: February, 2019.
The 2012 Special Club finds Arnaud Margaine at his very best. Ample, creamy and beautifully layered on the palate, with exquisite aromatics, the Special Club dazzles from the very first taste. All the elements simply fall into place. Lemon peel, orchard fruit, crushed rocks and lifted floral notes convey brightness, but here, too, I am blown away by the wine's precision and focus. The 2012 is 100% Chardonnay, aged partly in wood, with full malolactic fermentation. It may very well be the most complete Champagne I have ever tasted from Arnaud Margaine. Disgorged: August 2017.