A strong representation of grand cru Cote des Blancs terroirs makes Gastronome a highlight of the Gimonnet line, and the great vintage of 2008 makes this the finest since 2002. Such is the breathtaking delicacy of chardonnay from this vintage that experiencing this wine is akin to the sensation of stepping outside and taking your […]
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Fleuron is perhaps the most complete picture of Gimonnet, a blend of every village of the estate. The powerful white fruits of the village of Cramant take the lead, leaping out of the glass in a display of starfruit, pear, apple and spice. It quickly pulls into a taut, mineral finish where deep-set chalky minerality […]
read“Rosé de Blancs” is a statement that even Gimonnet’s pink wine is made in the chardonnay style of the house. The base wine is the Gastronome cuvée, 100% chardonnay, to which is added a 12% dose of pinot noir red wine for colour and a touch of red fruit flavour. This produces a rosé of […]
readIn response to overseas demand, Gimonnet made a champagne with no added sugar. Rather than creating a cuvée for the purpose, Didier Gimonnet instead chooses the cuvée from the year with the best balance to stand without dosage (currently Fleuron 2005). He admits he always prefers the wine with dosage – no surprise. “Champagne without […]
readLovedale is one of the great single vineyard semillons of the world, and its pedigree and sheer magnificence only emerge after some years in bottle. 2007 is a grand rendition, maturing ever so slowly, still retaining its pale straw-green hue. Primary cut grass and youthful lemon and lime zest are the themes here, upholding great […]
readGimonnet made no Paradoxe in 2005, 2009 or 2010, and, in refreshing honesty virtually unheard of in Champagne, Didier Gimonnet questions whether 2007 offered the structure or complexity to do justice to the style. It’s certainly a more immediate wine than usual for Gimonnet, more fruit-focused and without the typical complexity, structure or acid drive […]
read2005 was a tough season in Champagne, and I find myself frequently shaking my head as to why prestige cuvées were released in this very powerful vintage at all. In this context, Gimonnet’s Special Club is not only refreshingly, surprisingly well poised for the vintage, it’s a remarkable champagne by any standard. This wine romps […]
readMillesime de Collection is the same wine as Gimonnet’s Special Club, bottled on the same day but disgorged later, for a later release. Tasted here from magnum, the contrast is surprising. With notes of flinty reduction, more expressive spice and grapefruit and more pronounced minerality, this is a wonderfully complex wine with a long future […]
read2010 was greeted with much excitement at Mount Mary, the first full release since 2006, and heralded as one of the great vintages. This was also the first with Sam Middleton heading the winemaking team. Three years later, the results in bottle certainly support the hype. There is an elegant refinement at play in the […]
readGrigio is all the rage right now, but it’s tough to find anything worth drinking at this price. La Bossa is a fresh and tangy rendition, packed with grapefruit zest and pear flavours and finishing refreshingly clean and dry. $9 at Cracka.
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