Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs 1.5L

Since before 1750 the Gimonnet family have been vine growers in the village of Cuis, supplying the great Champagne houses with grapes up until the 1930's recession. As the sales of grapes fell during this prolonged recession, Monsieur Pierre Gimonnet finally decided to take up the challenge of vinifying and commercializing his own harvest. It was a great struggle at first, establishing a clientele who were not, at that time, accustomed to "blanc de blancs" Champagnes, not least from a new small independent producer. The effort finally paid off and today the name of Champagne Pierre Gimonnet et Fils is one of great renown, and highly respected. Pierre Gimonnet built this reputation on the base of his unique and exceptional vineyard, half a century of experience and the uncompromising standards that he imposed upon himself. 

WS91: Firm and well-knit, this lacy version offers a subtle mix of Dijon pear, smoke, fleur de sel, fresh ginger and slivered almond notes.

WA90: I tasted two different versions of Gimonnet's signature NV Cuis 1er Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs earlier this year; both were excellent as usual. The most recent disgorgement from January 2015 is based on the 2011 vintage (+ 22% Réserve wines), and is very pure, lovely, fresh and delicate on the typically intense, chalky/mineral, well balanced and elegant palate. The lighthearted yet quite complex wine was disgorged with a dosage of 6.5 grams per liter. The forerunner, based on 2008 and disgorged in October 2014, was even finer and provided with a very god length.
Rating: 90+