“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 of them have been appointed to this highly exclusive group— Juillet-Lallement among them.

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 one of them is voted down, your wine no longer qualifies for the Spécial Club. If it does meet all of the requirements, you qualify to use the club’s specially designed (and trademarked) squat bottle.

The 2014’s mousse is soft and generous, the nose ripe and giving, and the palate full, lush, wonderfully savory, and remarkably energetic. You can expect creamy notes of green and red apple, baked yellow pear, lees, peach, pie crust, lemon curd, white flowers, hazelnut, nougat, crushed white stone, and a touch of button mushroom. This opulent stunner is to be enjoyed now and over the next 5-7 years—I think this will have achieved an entirely new dimension by its 20th birthday so open your bottles conservatively!