Whenever a sparkling wine connoisseur sees a distinctively shaped bottle with the hallowed words “Spécial Club,” they immediately know they’re dealing with one of the most respected, exclusive, hard-won champagnes on earth. Out of Champagne’s many thousands of growers, less than 30 are currently allowed to bottle a “Spécial Club,” and nobody (yes, nobody) can hold a candle to Moussé Fils when it comes to Pinot Meunier.
They’ve been farming this grape in the same village for generations, and in 2005, they became the very first to release a Spécial Club assembled from 100% Meunier. So whatever you do, do not mistake this as a novelty product. Moussé is all in, and this scintillating 2017 “Les Fortes Terres” is as profound as any bottling of this age no matter the producer, grape, or Cru. We don’t get to offer Spécial Clubs often—just four times in eight years—so I highly advise you to take at least two bottles. Three gets you complimentary Ground Shipping.
With a few dozen hectares of vines and 150 inhabitants in a fertile year, I wouldn’t expect many to know the small Champagne village of Cuisles. Unless, that is, they’ve had the remarkable opportunity to taste one of Moussé Fils’ small-production cuvées. Nestled just north of the Marne River, Cuisles has long been Meunier country because of its green clay (illite) which cannot be found anywhere else in Champagne. Its crystalline composition is said to bring out the greatest purities of the variety.
But Meunier grown in unique green clay is only one part of this equation. Champagne Moussé is a highly trained master of this undervalued variety, and they’re also part of the rarefied Spécial Club. Known as Club Trésors de Champagne since 1999, this is one of the most rigorous wine organizations of all. Aside from being one of the few qualifying members, which only happens by invitation (Moussé joined in ’05), a series of fortunate events must occur should you want to display “Spécial Club” on your label. First, it must be a vintage-dated Champagne from a year deemed worthy by the committee. Second, your wine must be twice blind-tasted by a nonpartisan panel of enologists and winemakers—once as a “base” wine and again after three years of lees aging. If one of them is downvoted, the wine is eliminated from contention. If it does meet all of the requirements, you qualify to use the club’s trademarked and specially designed squat bottle.
Growers for 12 generations and winemakers for four, the Moussés have built its reputation on Cuisles Meunier from the start, which now accounts for 80% of 10 planted hectares. In 1923, Eugène Moussé founded the estate that is today run by his great-grandson Cédric. Minimizing environmental impact is a top priority in Moussé’s modern era. Guided by the principles of “lutte raisonnée,” Cédric practices organic viticulture using cover crops, providing nutrients to the vines via herbal infusions, avoiding pesticides, and limiting doses of copper and other heavy metal treatments. Furthermore, in 2012, Cédric completed construction on a winery built to maximize sustainability: solar panels power several buildings; cellar temperature is moderated by geothermal energy; and water for irrigation is provided by an underground spring!
In the cellar, the purity of the fruit takes center stage. Nearly all of Moussé’s wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel, and dosages are kept to a minimum, although the wines do undergo malolactic fermentation to lend creamier textures. Once transferred into bottle without fining, this 2017 “Les Fortes Terres” aged for over four years sur lie before disgorgement in January of 2022 and a 0.5-gram dosage. Interestingly, their microscopic addition of SO2 is a natural mineral sulfur made from scratch!
