Marc Hebrart Champagne Brut Selection 1er Cru NV

- Christian Göldenboog & Oliver Rüther im wunderbaren Buch „Die Champagner Macher“: „Bei Hebrarts Champagner komm stets Freude auf, so als hätte die Horn-Section von Earth, Wind & Fire gerade zum Blasen angesetzt, beim Blanc de Blancs ebenso wie beim Brut Selection, bei dem zwei Drittel blaue Tauben für den Biss sorgen."

-  91 Punkte JEB DUNNUCK, Audrey Frick (7/2022): „The NV Champagne Selection Brut is 65% Pinot Noir and the remainder Chardonnay, with 70% is coming from the 2018 vintage, 25% from 2016, and the rest from 2015. The aromas are more rounded and have a bit more orchard fruit and berries, with ripe peach, raspberry, and almond flour. The palate is characteristically fresh and fruity with red cherry, a fair bit of density, salinity, and a broader approach. Drink over the next 15 years.“ 2022-2037

- 92 Punkte Robert Parker's WINE ADVOCATE (11/2013), David Schildknecht: "A 65-35 Pinot-Chardonnay split dominated by 2008 with 20% combined from 2007 and 2006, Hebrart's NV Brut Selection is intensely herbal in a positive way, redolent of cilantro, mint and eucalyptus that convey a cooling and cleansing aura to its texturally polished palate. Chew of apple skin and piquant tang of pear skin engender invigoration, while lobster shell reduction supplies mouthwateringly sweet savor and sense of richness in a persistently juicy, chalk-kissed finish. This outstanding value (by Champagne standards) is sure to be worth following for several more years.
Feel free either to take it from me or to contradict me, but ever since, a half dozen years ago, I began experiencing (albeit sporadically) the wines of Jean-Paul Hebrart – who has run his family’s domaine for 15 years, but whom I haven’t personally met – it has struck me that the praise generally accorded them is too faint to do justice to Champagnes exhibiting perhaps so much sheer deliciousness that commentators simply overlook their profundity or forget how hard it is to achieve, vintage after vintage, such consistent clarity not to mention excellence. (And most of wines here that aren’t labeled with vintages are still each dominated by a single one). Hebrart’s vines grow in Chouilly, neighboring Oiry, and Mareuil-sur-Ay. Malo-lactic transformation is routine at this address and selected cuvees see small barrel, neither of which practices here preclude wines of utmost transparency to nuance, or ones that ever forget their first duty to refresh."

- 91 Punkte WINESPECTATOR (10/2015): "Lightly toasty and creamy in texture, this compact Champagne offers rich hints of pastry and crushed almond, enlivened by mouthwatering acidity and flavors of apricot, lemon pith and orchard blossom, with a minerally finish. Disgorged May 2014. Drink now through 2020."

- 90 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni (11/2020): "The NV Brut Sélection is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from old vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Avenay-Val-d'Or and Bisseuil. Creamy, ample and expressive, the Sélection exudes lovely balance and tons of class. Orchard fruit, spice and lemon confit all flesh out in this beautifully textured, inviting Champagne. This release is 60% 2016 and 40% 2015. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: November, 2019."

 
- *(*) Champagner Spezialist PETER LIEM: "Most of this is pinot noir from 40- to 55-year-old vines in Mareuil, while the 30 percent of chardonnay in the blend is half Mareuil and half from Oiry and Chouilly. It’s 85 percent 2012, with 15 percent of reserve wine from 2010, and the concentration of the 2012 vintage is evident, making the wine feel big and bold while retaining the elegant poise and refined build typical of Hébrart’s champagnes. It finishes with finesse and length, and it promises to develop more complexity with further aging in the cellar. Last tasted: 3/17"
"Hébrart’s wines have a broad appeal: if you like to think about your wines, they’re intellectually engaging enough to satisfy you; on the other hand, if you’re just looking to drink, they’re simply delicious. The wines are full and generous without being weighty, complex and soil-driven without being demanding. Overall, the entire range is of consistently high quality, and Hébrart is quickly becoming one of the finest grower estates in the Grande Vallée. Happily, his wines also represent excellent value for the money, at least for the moment."

- 92 Punkte WINE & SPIRITS (2015)

-94 Punkte Tyson Stelzer’s Champagne Guide 2020: „A magnificent entry cuvée that articulates the inimitable talent of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ to magnificently juxtapose the elegance and the presence of pinot noir. For its age, pinot noir predominance and generous reserves, it upholds impressive freshness of Mareuil old-vine lift in precocious red cherry and red berry fruits and waves of anise and fruit mince spice. It concludes with an enticing and seamless fanfare of vibrant morello cherry acidity and wellharmonised dosage. It’s at once succulent and juicy and at the same time lively and fresh, with the pronounced salty chalk minerality of Mareuil tapped as only old vines can do. All hail the great 2013/2012 duo!“

- 90 Punkte und unter den TOP Champagnern beim "Champagne panel tasting: Bottles to look for under £40" DECANTER: "A good all-round style with some complexity of yeasty, bready notes, in combination with a satisfying freshness and nicely integrated yet persistent bubbles."

- 92 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, William Kelley (4/2019):  "Disgorged in April 2018, the latest release of Hébrart's NV Brut Premier Cru Sélection wafts from the glass with an inviting bouquet of honeyed pears, quince, white flowers and gingerbread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, broad and charming palate with a fleshy, succulent core of fruit, a delicate mousse and an expansive, mouthwatering finish. It's a charming, open-knit wine with sneaky depth and persistence that exemplifies the estate's style."

- 92 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, William Kelley: "The latest rendition of Hébrart's NV Brut Premier Cru Sélection, disgorged earlier this year, is derived largely from Mareuil-sur-Ay, supplemented by some 13% from Chouilly. Offering up aromas of citrus oil, white flowers and fresh pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, with good concentration and structure in a charming format, concluding with an elegantly chalky finish."

- 91 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni (11/2021): „The NV Brut Sélection is a gorgeous introduction to this range. Creamy and open-knit, with compelling balance, the Sélection is absolutely engaging. Orchard fruit, white flowers, mint and citrus lend captivating perfume and freshness. I very much admire the energy and sense of proportion here. This release is 70% Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged: May 6, 2020.“

- 91 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni (12/2019): "The NV Brut Selection, a cuv´ée from 50+ year-old vines, is rich and ample in feel. The natural weight and resonance of these old vines is what comes through most. The Brut Selection impresses with notable texture and tons of sheer appeal. It is another fabulous value in this range from Hebrart. The Selection is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, equal parts 2015 and 2014, from Mareuil-sur-Ay, Avenay Val d'Or and Bisseuil. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: November, 2018."

- 94 Punkte TYSON STELZER Champagne Guide 2020 (für 2013): "30% chardonnay from Oiry and Chouilly, 70% pinot noir from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ vines of 45–55 years of age;fermented in stainless steel tanks; full malolactic fermentation; aged 4–4.5 years on lees; 7–7.5g/L dosage; cork
A magnificent entry cuvée that articulates the inimitable talent of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ to magnificently juxtapose the elegance and the presence of pinot noir. For its age, pinot noir predominance and generous reserves, it upholds impressive freshness of Mareuil old-vine lift in precocious red cherry and red berry fruits and waves of anise and fruit mince spice. It concludes with an enticing and seamless fanfare of vibrant morello cherry acidity and wellharmonised dosage. It’s at once succulent and juicy and at the same time lively and fresh, with the pronounced salty chalk minerality of Mareuil tapped as only old vines can do. All hail the great 2013/2012 duo!"

- TERRY THEISE 2019 Terry Theise Estate Selections Champagne:  "I have no idea why I’ve never done this for Champagne! Permit me to draw your attention to this short-list of indispensable masterpieces, some of which might have been below your radar.
THE GREATEST WINES IN THIS OFFERING ARE:
HÉBRART “Mes Favorites”
HÉBRART 2014 Spécial Club
HÉBRART 2015 Les Noces de Craie
THE GREATEST VALUES IN THIS OFFERING ARE:
HÉBRART Selection NV
THE BEST NV BRUT IN THIS OFFERING IS:
HÉBRART “Reserve”

- ++ TERRY THEISE 2019 Terry Theise Estate Selections Champagne: "The vines range from 40 to 55. Very often this Champagne is something of a guilty secret, because it’s a ludicrous VALUE and if everyone knew about it you’d be dissuaded from trading up to Club. Maybe. I don’t really see this as a “superior NV Brut” so much as the entrée into the Têtes-de-Cuvées, analogous to Vilmart’s Grand Cellier. Why buy this, though, when the NV is so good? First, it is two years older. The vines are older. There’s more Chardonnay in it. It’s all Mareuil, so mono-communal, more terroiré. The aromas are also white; white flowers, white tea, chalk, jasmine rice, lemon blossom, and the wine is creamier, more rapturous and euphoric. Many growers’ top wines don’t come near to this. Pleasure-for-Dollar, this is as good as it gets. And this year it flirts with sublimity. This year’s masterpiece is 50/50 2015/2014. It’s 70% PN (markedly higher than usual) from Mareuil and Avenay, and 30% Chard from Bisseuil. Deg 10/2018. Even with more PN it still has the lemony lift and length we know; it’s less different from the NV than it is a refinement of that wine, a different emphasis; springier, more lithe, more patisserie, with an almost buttery finish."