Marc Hebrart ‘Mes Favorites’ Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru

96pts Tyson Stelzer 'Champagne Guide 2020-2021' Jean-Paul Hebrart has blended together his favourite 'old vine' parcels all located in the premier cru of Mareuil-sur-Ay, where the Hebrart estate is located. The vines are all about fifty years old and a mix of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay.  A blend of three vintages; 2018, 2017 & 2016. 42 months on lees, dosage 5.5gm/ltr It is the essence of Mareuil. Behind the village of Mareuil, directly under the vineyards, a sheer chalk cliff stands as a dramatic and stark testimony to the profound terroir that forms the bedrock of what is the greatest premier cru of all.  To drink JeanPaul Hébrart’s new cuvée is an equally profound experience of the confronting minerality of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The ability of the deep roots of old vines to extract the chalk signature of the terroir of great sites is remarkable indeed, and Hébrart bores to the very core of the chalk of Mareuil.  Old vines infuse sensational concentration, too, rippling and rumbling with layers of generous white peach, fig and layers of spice. Chalk brings dynamic freshness to this succulent generosity, holding pronounced persistence and impeccable line. It’s little wonder that these plots, Hébrart’s most representative of his village, are the closest to his heart. Mes Favorites, indeed. Mine too.