Pierre Gimonnet & Fils

We find ourselves in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, that strip of land blessed with chalk soils where Chardonnay is not simply a grape variety, but a true religion. Here, Pierre Gimonnet & Fils shines with a character entirely its own. Theirs is not the usual story of a large commercial maison, but rather the tale of a family of vignerons whose roots in the region date back to 1750. The real turning point, however, came in 1935, when Michel Gimonnet decided to stop selling grapes to the great Champagne houses and begin producing wine under his own name. A courageous decision that gave birth to a style which has since become legendary: artisanal Blanc de Blancs of remarkable character. Today, the estate is led by brothers Didier and Olivier Gimonnet, who look after around 28 hectares of vineyards with almost obsessive passion. They are among the very few producers in Champagne able to boast an entire estate located exclusively within the Côte des Blancs, among prestigious villages such as Cuis, Cramant and Chouilly. The house philosophy is a celebration of freshness, finesse and verticality. To achieve this, the winery follows what could be described as an approach of “precision craftsmanship”. One of their defining choices is the skilful use of reserve wines, stored exclusively in bottle in order to preserve their aromatic vibrancy intact. This allows them to create blends that maintain impeccable stylistic consistency year after year. Many of the Gimonnet family’s vineyard parcels are over 40 years old, with some approaching a full century of age. These “old ladies” produce fewer grapes, but the fruit they yield possesses extraordinary aromatic concentration, capable of giving the wine structure without the need for heavy intervention in the cellar.