pierre gimonnet & fils champagne

 

Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils

My grandfather and father said to me: “When you make blends, use only what you like. If you don’t like it, don’t let it make up even 2% of the blend. If they see Gimonnet on the bottle, they must know that you like the wine inside.” - Didier Gimonnet

Collection Vieilles Vignes 2002 - New release!

History

The Estate

Vinification

 

didier and olivier gimonnet

"The identity of a wine is sometimes more important than the region it originates from. In Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet, it is most important to know the wine-growers. It is the same here. Origins are the basis of all wines, but the grower is the interpreter of a terroir. I am proud to have an exceptional terroir of Chardonnay and to have the opportunity to elaborate wines (Champagnes) with a particular expression. What a pleasure to be an interpreter of what Nature gives us. I hope I will continue during a very long time to produce “haute couture” wines." - Didier Gimonnet

  

History

The Gimonnet family have been growing vines and making Champagne since 1750, but it was the period between the two world wars which saw the greatest development of this house under the control of Pierre Gimonnet. From 1955, his son, Michel, took the philosophy of focusing specifically on vineyard sites and expressions of terroir as the benchmark and ethos for the production of Pierre Gimonnet Champagne. Today, the house of Gimonnet is run by Pierre’s grandsons – Didier and Olivier. They have continued to pursue the ethos of focusing on specific vineyard sites and expressions of terroir. Their meticulous attention to detail – demonstrated particularly by Didier’s vineyard record book - ensures individual wines of the highest quality.

 

The Estate

Champagne Pierre Gimonnet et Fils is a rare phenomenon in Champagne with 25 hectares of vines planted exclusively with Chardonnay, from which they produce refined Blanc de Blancs cuvées of distinction. Over the last 3 generations, they have refined the Gimonnet style, creating a marriage of expressions between the Chardonnay grape and the unique terroir of their wonderful Cuis Premier Cru, Cramant and Chouilly Grand Cru vineyards.

 

Vinification

Gimmonet is the only house in Champagne to preserve all reserve wines in bottle. Vinification is carried out in small tanks of 25-125 hl only, allowing the characteristics of each, small vineyard parcel to be preserved. Dosage is restricted to a maximum of 8g/lt to ensure that the delicate expressions of terroir and grape are not masked.

 

“We try to make wines with great structure, balance and elegance. The difficulty is to create something fresh and young which isn’t aggressively acidic despite the nature of Chardonnay and the soil in the Côte de Blancs. Even the non-vintage isn’t a base cuvée; it has to represent the style and quality of the house. Purity and freshness are essential, it is important that your palate isn’t tired after drinking a bottle of the Champagne.”

didier gimonnet

“If I must choose one vintage by decade, it will be: 1959 for the 50’s, 1964 for the 60’s (the year I born), 1979 for the 70’s, 1982 for the 80’s, 1990 for the 90’s and 2002 since the beginning of the new millennium.”