2004 Launois "Spécial Club" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Special wine and not just in name! As with all Special Club bottlings this comes from Launois' top parcels of vines. The wine has extra time on the lees which not only enhances its depth and quality but also gives the wine great oxidation resistance to allow for extended cellaring. The vibrant acidity of the 2004 vintage gives energy and life to this wine that is simply a delight to drink now and will only get better with time.

This was the star of a staff tasting recently, with a rich and lovely mouthfeel and a very fine mousse. It is from very old vines, all selcted over generations by the family. No clones here, my friends. It comes from 100% Grand Cru fruit and will not disappoint...

Crisp apple, bright acidity, and a creamy mousse make this Champagne one of the most lovely and delicious in the store right now. Brought in directly by our own Gary Westby, a man who knows his stuff. Drink it now or lay it down (if you can ignore the fact that you have perfectly drinkable and delectable bubbly in your cellar that you could be enjoying at this moment).

I have been lucky enough to enjoy this Champagne on multiple occasions - from aperitif with salted nuts, to oysters in the half shell, to a dinner pairing with pan seared halibut - and each sip revealed something new. Multidimensional yet svelte, its inherent volume is masterfully corsetted by the brisk acidity and mineral drive of the vintage. A distinctive, stunning bottle.

Launois is, understandably, amongst our most popular Champagnes. These are rich, full-bodied blanc de blancs. I like them fine, though the special club is always my favorite. Especially in a vintage as cool and acidity driven as 2004; this seems to provide a wonderful contrast to the Launois house style. Bright citric fruit, loads of terroir driven minerality and mid-palate drive combine with the rich, yeasty goodness to make one heck of a Champagne. This is the best Blanc des Blancs I've had in a while, no doubt.

This is my favorite Launois Special Club vintage yet. The 2004 vintage is a lean, long distance runner, with great acidity and outstanding transparency of terroir. The harvests character matches perfectly with Launois delayed harvest policy (they pick about ten days after everyone else) and their two oldest vineyard sites (planted in 1952). This wine is electric, with a concentrated, mineral finish that goes on for a long time. We drank a bottle with the closing staff on Friday night while turning out the lights in Redwood City and it was fantastic!