Gimonnet Champagne 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Extra

Champagne, France

Wine Spectator 91 points! Wine Advocate 89 points!

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Extra is a beautiful sparkling wine gem of 100% Chardonnay. Didier Gimonnet is the second generation of growers to direct this superb estate, with 28 hectares of holdings in grand and premier cru villages, predominantly in the Côte de Blancs. The winery is in the premier cru village of Cuis where Didier’s family has been growing grapes since 1750. Pierre Gimonnet, Dider’s Grandfather, started bottling estate champagnes in 1935. In addition to the 13.5 hectares in Cuis, Gimonnet owns 11 hectares of chardonnay vines in the grand cru villages of Cramant and Chouilly, plus another hectare in Oger and two in Vertus. Gimonnet also owns half a hectare of pinot noir, split between the grand cru of Aÿ and 1er cru of Mareuil-sur Aÿ.

The high percentage of old vines at this estate sets it apart in a region suffering from a plethora of very young vineyards. Seventy percent of Gimonnet’s holdings are over 30 years old, of which some forty percent are over 40 years old, with 100+ year old vines in the lieux-dits of Le Fond du Bateau, planted in 1911, and Buisson planted in 1913, both in the Grand Cru village of Cramant.

“Cramant,” says Gimonnet, is “very expressive and round;” Chouilly is similar in style but slightly less concentrated; Cuis is much more “neutral, acid, fresh, aerial:” this north-facing village is the coolest in the Côte des Blancs. These are sappy, crunchy, refreshing champagnes of acupuncturally tonic qualities with lingering, salty purity.

“A crowd-pleasing Champagne for the fine balance and accessibility. A fresh spine of acidity is enmeshed in the round and creamy profile of poached apricot, grated ginger and blanched almond. Clean-cut, with a tang of salty mineral on the lasting finish. Disgorged December 2019. Drink now through 2023.” — AN, Wine Spectator, 91 points!

Enjoy Gimonnet Champagne 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Extra as the perfect aperitif and with any epicurean meal, including desserts. Cheers!