Forget-Chemin Special Club Rosé Montagne de Reims 2018

Reims is the quaint capital of Champagne and a sacred site of pilgrimage for wine lovers the world over. Even royalty knew Reims was consecrated—the kings and queens of France were anointed and crowned in the city's towering, ornate Gothic cathedral for over 800 years. And no ground in Champagne is more hallowed than the hillsides encircling the town to the south and west—the Montagne de Reims. This appellation snakes around the perimeter of Reims, looping down towards Epernay and containing no fewer than nine Grands Crus villages.

Forget-Chemin, a small family-owned grower-producer, is nestled in the picturesque village of Ludes-le-Coquet, within view of the medieval cathedral of Reims. Thierry Forget, the fourth-generation winemaker, meticulously tends to just twenty-four acres of sustainably farmed vineyards on the slopes of the legendary Montagne de Reims. His vineyards are home to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, spread across ten different crus and sixty individual vineyard blocks. Every precious grape cluster is hand-harvested, and each bottle is personally riddled by Thierry as it ages in his ancient limestone caves. The House of Forget-Chemin produces a limited number of bottles, with fewer than 5% being exported out of France. This makes the 2018 Special Club Rosé a truly rare and exclusive find.

Theirry's detailed nature shines through in creating this Special Club bottling, with a distinctive blend of all three classic Champagne varietals in pressed white wine and a small percentage of pressed red wine from Pinot Noir.  Native fermentation occurs in stainless steel vats before bottling and the tirage addition for the second fermentation.  Upon disgorgement, Thierry tops each bottle with a dosage of 8 grams per liter to round out and balance the wine with a sweet touch for the supple style for which the Forget-Chemin house is known.

This Champagne is a wine lover's delight to taste as it is so many things rolled into one, with each sip evoking a new scent, taste, and feeling.  On the nose, aromas are reminiscent of cherries at peak ripeness in Summer and strawberry shortcakes heaped with fresh whipped cream.  Wafts of pink and white roses rush your senses before your second sip, which dances across the palate with tender, soft bubbles and a perfect kiss of acidity.  Before the taste is over, a surprising savory tone graces the finish, leaving you, the imbiber, wondering, "What was that intriguing note towards the end?" and diving back in for your next indulgent drop.