Wines produced
NV BLANC DE BLANCS, CUIS 1ER CRU (WHITE)
CUVEE GASTRONOME BRUT 1ER CRU (WHITE)
BLANC DE BLANCS, FLEURON BRUT 1ER CRU (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB CHOUILLY GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB CRAMANT GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB SPECIAL CLUB OGER GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
Winery presentation
Owner / winemaker
Olivier & Didier Gimonnet
Region
Champagne
Appellation
Champagne
Presentation
Since before 1750 the Gimonnet family have been growing vines in the village of Cuis, establishing themselves as long-standing growers in the Côte des Blancs. In the 1930s, as the economic crisis reduced demand for grapes, Pierre Gimonnet chose to vinify and sell his own harvest. His son, Michel, took over the estate in 1955, and it was under his direction that the distinctive style of Pierre Gimonnet et Fils was firmly established. Today, the house is widely recognised and highly respected for its exceptional Champagnes. This reputation is built on outstanding Chardonnay vineyards, many of them old vines, combined with decades of experience and the uncompromising standards Michel set. The estate is now run by his sons, Olivier and Didier, who continue the family’s dedication to quality. From its earliest days, the estate has followed the tradition of great winemakers, limiting production to highlight the character of each terroir. Its enduring ambition has always been to craft some of the finest blanc de blancs Champagnes, capturing the purity, precision, and elegance for which the Côte des Blancs is renowned.
Wines produced
BLANC DE BLANCS, CUIS 1ER CRU (WHITE)
CUVEE GASTRONOME BRUT 1ER CRU (WHITE)
BLANC DE BLANCS, FLEURON BRUT 1ER CRU (WHITE)
BRUT EXTRA (WHITE)
ROSE DE BLANCS, BRUT 1ER CRU (ROSE)
CUVEE OENOPHILE BRUT NATURE 1ER CRU (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB CHOUILLY GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB CRAMANT GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB CUIS 1ER CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB OGER GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
SPECIAL CLUB GRANDS TERROIRS DE CHARDONNAY (WHITE)
OGER GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS (WHITE)
Grape varieties planted
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Siz of Vineyard
29 Hectares, with 13ha in “Grand Cru” and 16ha “Premier Cru”.
Average age of the vines
40 years on average, with two exceptional 80 year old vineyards at Cramant : “La Terre des Buissons” and “Au Fond du Bateau”
Location
The cellars are situated in the village of Cuis, all of the vines are closely grouped together on exceptional sites within the “Côte des Blancs”, somewhat of a rarity in Champagne: 14 hectares are Cuis 1er Cru (with prime vineyard locations of “Croix-Blanche” and “Les Roualles”) and 2 hectares are Vertus 1er Cru. Of the remaining, 13 hectares are situated in the best “terroirs” of the Cramant Grand Crus (“Le fond du bateau”, “Les Buissons”, “Les Gros Monts”, “Les Briquettes and “La Croix”) and the Chouilly Grand Crus (“Les Montaigus” and “les Corrées”) and 1 hectare is in the Oger Grand Cru.
Soils
Champagne Gimonnet’s vineyards grow on classic chalk-based soils, providing excellent drainage, freshness, and minerality that give precision and elegance to its Champagnes.
Viticulture & Winemaking
Sustainable without the use of any chemical fertizers, insecticides or herbicides.
As with all top Champagnes, the most extreme care is taken with the harvesting and vinification of the grapes. Only small containers are used to carry the grapes to the vinification cellar, preventing premature damage and oxidation. The grapes are gently pressed 2 traditional vertical Champagne presses and the musts are cooled for clarification. After about 10 hours, when the heavier sediments have fallen, the musts are racked and the fermentations begin. Each parcel of the vineyard is vinified apart, providing Didier Gimonnet with a wide selection of wines from which to create the perfect blend at a later date. The malolactic fermentation always take place, allowing a better evolution of the aromas and flavours and prolonging the longivity. Before bottling in April, the wines undergo a “cold treatment” in order to precipitate the bi-tartrates, followed by a Kieselguhr filtration. After bottling and the addition of the “liqueur de tirage” the bottles are transfered to the ageing cellars, where the temperature is a constant 8/9°C. The bottles are aged for a period of at least 18 to 24 months for non vintage Champagnes and 4 to 6 years for the vintage Champagnes. The traditional “remuage” or bottle turning is performed manually. Disgorging takes place 3 to 6 months before the wine is sold. The dosage of the “liqueur d’expédition” is always at a low percentage, and is derived from the estates older wines, ensuring that the true “blanc de blancs” characteristics are maintained.
Every year the wines are created with quality and continuity in mind, producing the best possible results from the grapes available. This inevitably means that the vintage Champagnes are only produced in very good to exceptional years.
The Champagne “Special Club” vintage is a blend of the most outstanding wines from an exceptional year. Composed of wines from 6 to 8 vineyards, this very exclusive Champagne is rarely made due the exacting standards ensured by the “Club des Viticulteurs Champenois” – an exclusive club of only 40 members, grouped from all parts of Champagne with one common aim: to create the greatest Champagnes.
The cuvées “Fleuron Brut” and “Gastronome Brut” are produced from the exceptional wines not used for the “Special Club” and from those wines which best express the characteristics of the vintage.
The “Brut Oenophile”, from the old vines at Cramant, is a Champagne that receives no dosage or “liqueur d’expedition” to sweeten it up. This Champagne is aged for 6 years in bottle before it’s commercial release.
The non vintage “Cuis 1er Cru” incorporates wines from the most recent harvests, aiming to produce a consistent Champagne, both well balanced and consistently flavoured.
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