The Gimonnet family has farmed Champagne since 1750, and this bottling comes from Mont Aigu in Chouilly Grand Cru, a site so chalky the minerality reads less like a descriptor than an address. All stainless, full malo, and 70-plus months on the lees give it a creamy mid-palate under taut Chardonnay lines, with dosage at a barely-there 3g/L. Nothing here is propped up by sugar; the chalk is doing the talking.
Winemaker Notes
100% Chardonnay From Chouilly Grand Cru (Mont Aigu) Very chalky site Yes malo Fermented and aged in stainless steel Aged 70+ months on the lees Dosage: 3g/L
Professional Ratings
95
James Suckling
94
Jeb DunnuckThe bright straw-hued 2016 Champagne Grand Cru Special Club Chouilly Brut was aged for 70 months on the lees, it did go through malo, and it saw 4 grams per liter dosage. The nose shows some real nuance, with a floral perfume lifting from the glass with delicate notes of sweet pastry cream, lemon curd, ripe pear, and chalky earth. Medium-framed and well-detailed, its more mineral texture and refin
94
Vinous
94
Wine Advocate
About the Producer
Region: Côte des Blancs
Premier Cru Sites: Cuis, Mareuil-sur Aÿ, and Vertus
Grand Cru Sites: Cramant, Chouilly, Oger, and Aÿ
Total Vineyard Holdings: 29.4 hectares
Annual Production: 20,000 cases
Vines: 99% Chardonnay, 1% Pinot Noir
Didier Gimonnet directs this superb estate, located in the Premier Cru of Cuis. With 29.4 hectares of holdings in Grand and Premier Cru villages, predominantly in the Côte des Blancs, Didier’s family has been growing grapes in Champagne since 1750. It was Pierre Gimonnet, Didier’s grandfather, who started bottling estate Champagnes in 1935.
