A deep dive into Le Club Trésors de Champagne and the terroir-driven producers elevating ‘Grower Champagne’ to legendary status
While many know Champagne through famous houses like Taittinger, Krug, Lanson, Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon, there is a growing movement of Récoltants-Manipulants (grower-producers) who farm their own vineyards and craft wines that express their unique terroir. Among the elite is Le Club Trésors de Champagne, currently a group of 25 exceptional growers (including the three featured producers below) united by a commitment to quality, authenticity, and terroir expression.
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Within Le Club, the pinnacle of achievement is the Special Club — a bottle shape and designation reserved only for the very best cuvée(s) each grower produces in outstanding vintages. To be chosen as a Special Club Champagne, a wine must pass multiple blind tastings by a jury of fellow Le Club members and external oenologists, both as a still base wine and also post-second fermentation, generally three or more years later before the wine is considered for commercial release.
If the jury all agree that the wine merits the honour of carrying the Special Club label then it is permitted to be sold as a Special Club Champagne, in the distinctive, slightly antique-shaped bottle first used in 1971. This presentation style signals to collectors and connoisseurs that they are holding something rare and something that represents the height of Champagne craftsmanship.
While Special Club wines are luxurious, they are first and foremost living records of terroir and time, distilled into sparkling form. They are the product of chalk, climate, craft, and centuries of experience. And in every cork’s pop, you can hear Champagne’s past and present in perfect harmony.
Meet the producers — Special Club standouts
While I was in Reims, France (the epicentre of Champagne) this past summer, I took the opportunity to meet with three exceptional grower-producers who are members of Le Club, and each produce Special Club Champagne in most vintages.
We met at Le Club’s wine boutique/tasting bar in downtown Reims to taste some of their impressive vintage Champagnes. We also spoke about their wineries, their vineyards in various Crus where their Champagnes are born, and various quality-focused requirements of Le Club which go over and above the already strict rules of the Champagne AOC for producing their respective Champagnes.
Forget-Chemin – winery located in Ludes, Montagne de Reims (Premier Cru)
Winemaker: Thierry Forget – President of Le Club
The Premier Cru of Ludes lies on the northern Montagne de Reims, where the chalky slopes are often topped with thin clay soils. Forget-Chemin’s vineyards, spread across 11 Crus (13 ha in total), and benefit from excellent drainage with a microclimate that allows pinot meunier to shine alongside chardonnay and pinot noir. Thierry Forget crafts Champagnes that balance orchard fruit brightness with creamy texture, underpinned by minerality from the deep chalk under his vineyards.
Forget-Chemin Special Club 2019 Champagne.
Thierry’s work is vineyard-first: he spends 90 percent of his time among the vines. His parcels are planted to chardonnay, pinot noir, and a significant portion of pinot meunier, a variety often underappreciated but key to Champagne’s character.
During a walk through his vineyards, Thierry explained the name meunier, which is French for “miller”, refering to the fine, flour-like dust on the underside of its leaves, just as the miller at a grain mill is covered in white flour.
Thierry Forget
Forget-Chemin’s wines are marked by elegance, precision, and ageability. A tasting of a 1979 vintage, poured from a dusty bottle in Thierry’s cellar, revealed a golden amber hue with fine bubbles, nutty complexity, and vibrant acidity that had endured for 45 years. It was a testament to the estate’s old-vine chardonnay and the meticulous care given to each wine. A remarkable experience hearing the ‘pop’, seeing the colour of this aged Champagne, and finally tasting the vibrant wine right there in the winery. It’s experiences like that which make you a believer and deepen your passion for these ultra-premium wines of unparalleled provenance.
His 2019 Special Club (90% chardonnay, 10% pinot noir) was a masterclass in tension and depth — citrus, green apple, light brioche, and white blossom dancing over a long, saline finish. The chardonnay bringing elegance and tension while the touch of pinot noir adding structure and depth. It’s a wine built to evolve – harmonious, energetic, and destined for greatness over the decades.
When I asked Thierry why he didn’t do a full Blanc de Blancs (100% chardonnay) he explained that while the structure would have been great, the pinot noir added the necessary complexity, effectively elevating the wine to it’s best expression of the vintage and proudly rendering it his 2019 Special Club cuvée. “For me, Special Club is about bottling the purest voice of our vineyards in their best years,” he said.
Henri Goutorbe – winery located in Aÿ-Champagne (Grand Cru, Vallée de la Marne)
Winemaker: Etienne Goutorbe
Aÿ-Champagne is one of Champagne’s most celebrated Grand Cru villages, known for its south-facing slopes and deep chalk deposits overlaid with thin soils — perfect for pinot noir of power and finesse. Henri Goutorbe’s 22 ha of vines across nine Crus produce wines that marry ripe red fruit with a chalky backbone and remarkable longevity. The 2012 Special Club Grand Cru (70% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay) offers black cherry, wild strawberry, toasted brioche, and spice, finishing with a mouthwatering minerality.
From left: Etienne Goutorbe of Henri Goutorbe, Jean-Pierre Vazart of Vazart-Coquart et Fils, Oksana Roudenko, and Thierry Forget, President of Le Club and owner/winemaker/Récoltant-Manipulant at Champagne Forget-Chemin. (Photo: Matt Steeves)
Henri Goutorbe’s Special Club showcases Aÿ Grand Cru provenance first, and the vintage second, according to Etienne, boasting that “Aÿ terroir is timeless.” Tasting it confirmed that remarkable longevity with vibrant character and impressive complexity. A beautifully aged Special Club which will shine for decades more.
Vazart-Coquart et Fils – winery located in Chouilly (Grand Cru, Côte des Blancs)
Winemaker: Jean-Pierre Vazart
Chouilly’s Grand Cru vineyards sit on pure chalk, yielding chardonnay of crystalline elegance and vivid minerality. Vazart-Coquart farms 11 ha, 95 percent planted to chardonnay, with a focus on biodynamic principles and minimal intervention. Their Special Club Blanc de Blancs (100% chardonnay) captures the Côte des Blancs’ signature style — citrus zest, white flowers, almond, and a chalky, sea-breeze finish. “Special Club is our way of saying: this is Chouilly at its most beautiful,” notes Jean-Pierre.
A ‘Special’ tasting of a 1979 vintage of Forget-Chemin.
Etienne Goutorbe and Jean-Pierre Vazart on why one should seek out Special Club Champagne:
“For Champagne lovers, discovering Special Club cuvées is like finding a secret menu of the region’s most compelling wines—limited, terroir-driven, and only made in exceptional years. These wines aren’t mass-produced or widely distributed, especially not in North America. But for those fortunate enough to come across a bottle, the experience is unforgettable.”
“The Club’s wines rival and often exceed those of the grandes marques, yet they carry the intimate signature of the vigneron who farmed, fermented, and bottled them. With the rise of Grower Champagne in global markets, Special Club bottles offer unrivaled value, uniqueness, and prestige.”
A toast to craftsmanship and terroir
Le Club Trésors de Champagne is more than a group of growers—it is a movement of excellence, a reminder that Champagne is as much about people and place as it is about bubbles and celebration.
Whether you find a bottle of Forget-Chemin, Goutorbe, Vazart-Coquart, or another Special Club member, you’re tasting a piece of history, terroir, and vision.
Next time you’re seeking something truly exceptional, seek-out a Special Club Champagne. Behind that label lies a grower’s very best—and perhaps, your next great Champagne discovery.
Cheers, or as they say in Champagne, “Champagne!”
Matt Steeves is a Canadian Wine Writer, On-Air Sommelier (TV, radio), Valpolicella Wine Specialist, and former Director with the National Capital Sommelier Guild – follow Matt on Instagram @Quercusvino & www.quercusvino.ca & www.topwines.ca.
