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Pierre Gimonnet

Look beyond the Grandes Marques of the Champagne region and there is a myriad of smaller producers, some turning out very attractive wines. Over the years I have tried to acquaint myself with some of their wines, but it has not always been easy; they are often produced in limited quantities, especially when compared with the huge production figures for the large maisons of Reims and Epernay. Nevertheless, difficulties aside, if there is one grower that needs to be investigated it is perhaps Pierre Gimonnet. Writing in his Champagne Encyclopedia, Tom Stevenson says of the wines "All are excellent, but my favourite varies from year to year. Keeps getting better!" This is high praise indeed.

The Gimonnet family have been cultivating the vine in Cuis, on Champagne's famous Côtes des Blancs, since 1750, although for many years they sold their fruit to the aforementioned grandes maisons. It was not until the early 20th Century, as sales of his harvested fruit faltered, no doubt as a consequence of the recent war and economic depression, that Pierre Gimonnet turned to vinifying his fruit himself. Perhaps struggling to remain solvent, he advertised his newly fermented Champagnes for sale alongside his vin tranquille, the still wine of the region, and even unfermented grape juice; remarkably, all three cost the same. It must have been galling to receive such scant recognition - and such small financial reward - for the work involved in these vinifications.

It was after 1955 that the wines of Pierre Gimonnet et Fils began to demonstrate the character that we see in them today. At this time Michel, Pierre's son, set about creating a range of Champagnes which would typify the exclusively Chardonnay Gimonnet style. Recognising the quality of the vineyards at hand, Michel raised the standard of the wines to match, and this has been continued through the next generation who continue to run the domaine today; Olivier and Didier Gimonnet, Michel's sons.

The Gimonnets restrict themselves to working solely with Chardonnay sourced from high quality plots on the Côtes des Blancs, with about 26 hectares all told, 14 hectares of premier cru vineyards in Cuis and 12 hectares of grand cru vines in Cramant and Chouilly. Since 2005 they have also tended vines in a 1 hectare plot in Oger, again rated as a grand cru site. The vineyards in Cramant include two plots first planted in 1911 and 1913, and the Gimmonnets are endowed with many old vines, the majority being more than 30 years old, with many over 40 years of age. Once harvested by hand, the fruit goes through a pneumatic press, and the juice is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel cuves which vary in size from 25 to 125 hectolitres, to facilitate fermentation plot-by-plot. The malolactic fermentation is encouraged, before what is now the vin clair is fined, a practice undertaken since 1996, and then chilled whilst they clarify, over a period of about six months. They are then cold-stabilised, given a light filtration, the liqueur de tirage is added to get the second fermentation underway, and the bottles are left in the cellar, for up to three years for a non-vintage wine, up to seven for one based on a single vintage. When the wine is finally being prepared for market, a heavy dosage is avoided, 5-8 g/l of sugar is a typical target. The non-vintage wines may incorporate up to 50% reserve wines, these being stored in bottle, an unusual practice the aim of which is to maximise freshness in the wines, until they are needed.

There is a philosophy against Chaptalisation at the domaine; the very old vines, those that have more than 80 years under their belt, are rarely manipulated in this fashion, with 1987 and the terrible 2001 vintage being the only recent vintages where this was deemed necessary. But across the domaine as a whole Chaptalisation is avoided, with none in any wines in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 2002. A full review of the range should begin, however, with the non-vintage Cuis Premier Cru, after which comes Fleuron, the entry-level vintage wine, accounting for 30-50% of the harvest; it is selected from a number of terroirs, and is never purely grand cru, apparently benefitting from the acidity brought by the inclusion of wine from Cuis which accounts for 30-50% of the blend, the balance being Cramant and Chouilly. Thereafter come the Gastronome and Oenophile cuvées, both potentially excellent. The former is a blend from Cramant, Chouilly and Cuis, although the proportions vary considerably with the vintage. In 1999, for instance, Cuis dominated with 42% of the blend, with 37% Chouilly and 21% Cramant, but in 2000 it was 50% Chouilly, the balance split equally between Cramant and Cuis. The latter of these two wines is also a blend across all three villages, using old vines, but here the distinction is dosage; this is an Extra-Brut. At the top are the Special Club and Millésime de Collection cuvées, both special wines I am told, but my experience of these is limited. (11/4/08)

Contact details:
Address: 1, rue de la République, 51530 Cuis
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 26 59 78 70
Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 59 79 84
Internet: www.champagne-gimonnet.com

Pierre Gimonnet - Tasting Notes

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Pierre Gimonnet Gastronome Blanc de Blancs 2004: Ethereal, floral in style, notes of acacia and a little nut, this certainly has plenty of character. The palate is very feminine, starting off quite soft and pillowy, but then revealing a sharp mousse in the background and a good acid backbone. Rounded and very harmonious. This shoud be very good given time. From the 2009 annual Champagne Tasting. 17-17.5+/20 (March 2009)

Pierre Gimonnet Fleuron Premier Cru Brut 2002: Soft white fruits on the nose here, with aromas of toffee and white flowers, with a dried character to the fruit. A delicious structure is evident on the palate, firm but integrated, fleshy with good acids just behind the texture. A lovely nutty edge to the fruit promises much. Plenty of potential here. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16.5+/20 (March 2008)

Pierre Gimonnet Gastronome Blanc des Blancs 2002: A very well-regarded grower based in Cuis. A fine bead and a pale colour here. The nose is beautifully fresh, starting off with lemon and almond, but then warmer notes of brioche, toffee and honey-roast nuts, but none of these elements are over-facing or lacking in elegance. The palate is fresh and floral and elegant, with fine and fresh acidity, lovely vinous texture and defined mousse. Beautiful, citrus-laced character. Crisply done, with a lovely length, this wine has a delicious presence, good blanc de blancs finesse and fine substance too. Certainly on the way up. 18+/20 (September 2009)

Pierre Gimonnet Gastronome Blanc des Blancs 2002: A pale hue, with a fat and plentiful bead belying the youth of this wine. Good depth is immediately apparent on the nose, with great character immediately apparent, in contrast to the Cuis Premier Cru tasted alongside which took some time to reveal its talents. Here there are aromas of brioche, honey, minerals, and toffee all rolled up in a warm, freshly baked character. Lightly creamy, toffee-tinged on the palate, nutty and with more brioche evident, this has a delightful style. A great, crisp mousse provides some lift. This is wonderful to drink now but is likely to be more delicious with a little more age. 18-18.5+/20 (April 2008)

Pierre Gimonnet Extra Brut Oenophile Premier Cru 2000: Fresh and lively on the nose, with plenty of character, and leafy-lemony fruit. A good firm palate, somewhat lean, with a firm acidity but a fine floral character. Pretty clearly a non-dosé style, fresh and stylish, but in this case with surprising depth. From the 2009 annual Champagne Tasting. 16.5-17+/20 (March 2009)

Pierre Gimonnet Fleuron Premier Cru 2000: Fairly pale hue, rich in bubbles of a moderate size, certainly not tiny. This has a gentle nose, rather withdrawn, with notes of hazelnut and even a little crème brûlée, although not presented in an exuberant fashion. A nice weight to it, with a mousse that sits very nicely through the midpalate and slowly fades towards the end, before reappearing on the finish. Really rather attractive flavour, showing a little sherbet fizz and pop at first, undercut with a cream soda richness and depth, but lifted by a lemony, lightly hazelnutty character. A little firmness through the finish, where the acidity shows. A touch burnt here. This is good, and I can see it developing fairly well in the cellar. Two bottles of this gone already, drank in quick succession. 17+/20 (April 2008)

Pierre Gimonnet Extra Brut Oenophile Premier Cru 1999: All Chardonnay of course, as all of Pierre Gimonnet's wine are, this receives no dosage to raise the sugar content. It has a light and floral nose. It is very dry, showing a touch of flesh early on in the palate. A very clean character, attractive, although I find it a touch hollow in the midpalate which is where a higher dosage would have had some effect. I am not a great fan of the style although I think in certain circumstances it can work very well. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16.5+/20 (March 2008)

Tasting notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. I have tried to indicate whether it is a tasting of a new release, or of a wine I have cellared.

Pierre Gimonnet Cuis Premier Cru Brut Blanc des Blancs NV: Current release. This cuvée, based mainly on the 2006 vintage, has a very pure, direct and rather floral nose. The palate has a fresh and lively character, and integrated but remarkably bright components. It remains fresh, like a stony spring meadow. Overall this is very appealing. From the 2009 annual Champagne tasting. 17+/20 (March 2009)

Pierre Gimonnet Cuis Premier Cru Brut Blanc des Blancs NV: Current release. An unusual character on the nose here, rather high toned fruit, highly polished, in fact a little volatile and acetic. The palate is lovely though, having a full, balanced and rounded character, a nice fleshy feel, and a good acid backbone. The fruit does resemble that on the nose but less overtly volatile. There is potential here, but an element of doubt based on those acetic notes. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16+?/20 (March 2008)

Pierre Gimonnet Cuis Premier Cru Blanc des Blancs NV: A huge, effervescent, rather fat bead. Clearly a young wine, and rather clear in terms of colour, too. Fresh, gentle but youthful style on the nose, with floral and white stone fruit at first, then little notes of nuts. Lively palate, lots of fruit, fabulously fresh, showing lots of defining acidity, and slowly coming out of its shell in the glass. It reveals a creamy, honeyed richness on the midpalate, but always well defined and lifted, with a beautifully composed texture, structure, vinosity and presence. Extraordinarily stylish, top quality, very vinous experience. Excellent. 18+/20 (April 2008)