2012 Jacques Lorent Brut Champagne 750 ml

Vintage-dated wines have always carried extra prestige in Champagne: Most producers make them only in the best years, and by rule they have to be aged longer than their common non-vintage siblings. As a result, they’re rare—making up less than 5% of all Champagne—and often pricy.

So when we had the chance to secure the 2012 Jacques Lorent—from one of our members’ favorite producers AND one of Champagne’s greatest-ever vintages—for our inaugural Champagne Club shipment, we jumped. That’s because most bottlings from this spectacular season are long gone. That’s a real shame, because they’re entering a glorious drinking window today.

2012 was the kind of vintage that you can’t have enough of in your cellar. Decanter rated the season a rare 5 out of 5 stars, while Wine Spectator thinks it’s the second-best vintage since the legendary 1996. Defined by a perfect August and September, growers were able to harvest grapes at perfect ripeness—a rare occurrence in chilly Champagne. This bottle puts those perfect conditions on proud display.

A cooperative of 250 small Champagne growers—each one often farming just two or three acres—cultivated the fruit that went into Jacques Lorent’s 2012 vintage Champagne. Led by 45% each Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, rounded out with a splash of Meunier, it’s blossomed beautifully in the decade since it was harvested.

Notably, Jacques Lorent aged their 2012 vintage bottling for six years on the lees before disgorgement, which is TWICE what’s required of vintage-dated Champagne. And after that, they continued to hold it back, allowing it to develop in bottle before they deemed it ready for release. As you’ll see, this bottle is enjoying its moment right now.