Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Special Club Grands Terriors de Chardonnay Extra Brut 2015 Really concentrated, but so incredibly focused and precise, this is a masterpiece of chardonnay elegance! Very long and extremely mineral finish that lights up the sky like fireworks… – James Suckling, 96 points

96 points! That’s elite, rarified territory for Champagne – especially once you check out our killer price! Pierre Gimonnet is everything we love about Grower Champagne – with a family history of growing grapes in the region since 1750, and bottling their own estate cuvees as far back as 1935! Over the years and generations, they have built one of the finest estates in the Côte des Blancs – with nearly 30 hectares of Grand Cru and Premier Cru plots, mostly chardonnay, and mostly in their home turf of Cuis, then Cramant and Chouilly, with smaller parcels in Oger, Vertus, and a bit of pinot noir in Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. 

Most unique about the estate is their possession of old vines – some of the oldest anywhere in Champagne! They have two plots in Cramant that are over 110 years old – planted in 1911 and 1913, respectively – plus over 70% percent of their holdings at over 30 years old, again, truly unheard of for Champagne. They also have demonstrated an extremely loyalty to their signature plot of Cuis – often sacrificing their ability to label a wine as “Grand Cru” because of a firm belief that the Gimonnet style is so prevalently intertwined with the fruit of Cuis… even if only a small percentage is added to the final blend. Such is the case with this exceptional 2015 Special Club – the focus is undoubtedly on their holdings of Cramant and Chouilly – accounting for 59% and 25% of the final blend accordingly. The remaining 16% is all Cuis… and just a classic, epic Gimonnet Blanc de Blancs that sets the heart on fire!

These wines are pure, unbridled expressions of the chalk soils of the Côte des Blancs – crunchy, intense, searingly bright, and mineral driven. This is all that and more, with aromatic layers of Bosc pear, wet slate, star jasmine, Gala apples, and shortbread biscuits. On first sip, this zips out the glass with a lively and fresh attack, showcasing lemon and orange citrus notes, roasted pears, lemon verbena, and this minty-cool and mineral freshness on the extremely enduring finish. Do yourself a favor and sip this slowly – the temptation is real to take large, satisfying gulps – but this is certainly a wine to be savored! Not long for the Last Bubbles universe, I’m afraid, as only 60 cases were imported to the USA and we got less than 10 of those! If you are lucky enough to grab some – congratulations, you are in for a treat!!!