Sixty dollars for a Premier Cru Vintage Champagne sounds extremely enticing as-is, but Forest-Marie’s sensational 2008 holds intricacies that make it an unrivaled value. The amount of pedigree and substance in this bottle deserves a triple-digit price tag attached to it, and I’m about to explain why.
Let’s first take a look at the vintage in question, an iconic year immortalized by every heavy hitter out there. Famed writer Tom Stevenson called 2008 “one of the greatest Champagne vintages of my lifetime”; Dom Pérignon's
chef de cave christened it “a miracle year”; and renowned merchant Farr Vintners declared that it “could well prove to be the best champagne vintage since 1988.” Still, a legendary vintage can only get you so far if shortcuts are taken in the cellar. That’s why Champagnes in sterling vintages are aged for years before even considering release. And then there’s Forest-Marié, a small-scale grower-producer that bottled 100% old-vine, Premier Cru fruit in 2008 and allowed an astounding 10 years to pass before disgorgement. For anyone keeping score, that comes out to exactly $5 per year. If that doesn’t grab you by the shoulders and scream insane value, then I’m afraid we’re on different pages, reading different books, in different libraries. When it comes to 2008 Vintage Champagne, this is the very best “gotta-have” value out there. Quantities are extremely limited—hurry!
There are deeds that show winemaker and proprietor Thierry Forest’s familial ties to the land in Trigny date back 1746. When he married his wife, Grancianne Marié, the family’s estate vineyards expanded beyond Trigny—most notably to the Premier Cru village of Ecueil, where Grancianne’s family is from—and the label got its hyphenated name. Champagne has no shortage of intricacies, which we delight in showcasing here at SommSelect, especially when it comes to these blip-on-the-radar houses who let their terroir do the talking. Take note of the prominent banner across the front label of today’s wine: “Récolant-Manipulant.” Forest-Marie grows its own grapes, makes its own wine, and wants you to know that.
A quick recap for those who are scratched their heads upon seeing “Récoltant-Manipulant.” This is a “grower-producer,” meaning an estate that controls every aspect of farming and winemaking: 95% of the fruit must be from their own vineyards (if a grower who only has Chardonnay vines wants to make a rosé, he can purchase some Pinot Noir and/or Meunier with that remaining 5%). This greatly differs from the large negociants (Champagne Houses) which dominate the market. It doesn’t mean one is better than the other, but buying Récoltant Manipulant Champagne means whatever name is on the label was in complete control of the process from start to finish.
Forest-Marié’s 2008 vintage bottling was hand sourced from their best old-vine (average 70-80 years old) plots in the Premier Cru villages of Ecueil, Sacy, and Villedommange, with their prized site lying in “Les Chaillots,” a coveted vineyard within Ecueil that was planted in 1930! Again, only old-vine Premier Cru fruit—equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay—is selected for their millésime bottling. After hand-harvesting and pressing, the juice fermented in stainless steel for a month and aged several more on its lees. Following, the wine was bottled in March of 2009 and sent to mature in their cellar for 118 months—just shy of 10 years. It was ‘dosed’ with just over six grams of sugar upon disgorgement. Only 523 cases made.
A Champagne of pure class unfurls in the stem, as should be expected from one of the most classic vintages in recent history. This 2008 Premier Cru reveals a vivid yellow-gold core that shimmers due to ultra-fine, energized beads streaming up and bursting on the surface. Crushed minerals and spice, nuanced fruit, and sublime florality ooze out in layers: dried pineapple, candied lemon peel, dried white flowers, honeysuckle, quince, yellow apples, Bosc pear, crushed chalk, citrus blossoms, toasted spice. The tension-filled palate delivers unmistakable poise and balance. Its textures are savory and delicately ripe at once, but it’s the refreshing rush of pulverized minerals and beautifully packaged acidity that so vibrantly showcases the power and finesse of 2008. Though it’s already aged 10 years, it’ll go another 10 with absolute ease. Thankfully, the bulk of aging has been done for you, so opening one or two is encouraged—just try and save your last one as long as humanly possible. Forest-Marié’s 2008 is a special and exceptionally rare treat in terms of its production, price, and quality. Do not miss it!
