Pierre Gimonnet et Fils Millesime de Collection Vieilles Vignes de Chardonnay 2006

The Millesime de Collection 2006 is the vintage blend from Pierre Gimmonet, a Blanc de Blancs from three Cote des Blancs villages, Cramant, Chouilly and Cuis. Much of the fruit is from very old vines, most of the Cramant vineyards were planted in 1911 and 1913 and Chouilly's renowned vineyard of Montaigu was planted in 1951. This special blend is only available in magnums with just 3713 made.

Weather: The 2006 vintage was a year of mixed weather. It began with a rainy spell and late spring, but with little or no frost in the vineyards. Early summer was positive, with the months of June and July creating perfect conditions for flowering. Although there were some storms in late-July, the overall health of the vines was great since the weather remained hot through to the harvest with spells of rain in August promoting even healthier grapes.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 65% Cramant Grand Cru, 22.5% Chouilly Grand Cru & 12.5% Cuis 1er Cru
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Disgorged: 18th December 2015
Lees Ageing: 8.5 years
Dosage: 4.5 g/l
Pressure: 5.5 bars
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: Very fresh with bundles of lemon and lime and beautiful chalky character. The low dosage makes it extra brut but that doesn’t come across as it has so much fruit and hints of tropical ripeness mix with lees character that build up to a great texture with some of that patisserie and custard layering. This feels young and vibrant with an exciting future. This is a good example showing how great Chardonnay can be from these top three villages in the Côte des Blancs.

The story of Champagne Gimonnet is, in fact, “Pierre Gimonnet et Fils... et PetitsFils”, as the grandsons of the founder, brothers Olivier and Didier Gimonnet are the custodians of this family House in the Côte des Blancs. The Gimonnet family can be traced back to 1750 growing vines around the village of Cuis, south of Epernay, but it was between the wars that Pierre Gimonnet set up the winery that allowed him to become a grower-producer, specialising in Blanc de Blancs. Pierre Gimonnet was succeeded by his son Michel, whom his sons credit with a hard-working modesty but an obsession with quality of winemaking and a passion for the vines he spent his life walking and working between.

Olivier and Didier worked with their father for a decade until his retirement in 1996 (he died in 2008), and have continued, and improved on, his work for over 20 years.

Michel’s understanding of terroir led him to acquire parcels beyond Cuis and into neighbouring Cramant and Chouilly. His sons have continued this principle, expanding into Oger in 2005 and as far south as Vertus in 2008. The House now has 40 separate parcels across 28 hectares – 16ha of Premier Cru and 12ha of Grand Cru – all in the Côte des Blancs. The one geographical limit they have set is the bounds of the Côte des Blancs because it is determined to explore the variety of expressions of Chardonnay and achieve excellence in its different characteristics.

Didier and Olivier believe, as did their father, that Chardonnay vines improve with age, among the vines owned by Gimonnet are some in Cramant more than a century old, while over half are 40 years old or more. Massale selection is used to ensure the continuation of good genes when grafting and planting new parcels. At harvest time, grapes are handpicked, traditionally pressed and then vinified in small batches, parcel by parcel, in 25 to 125 hectalitre tanks to create the Gimonnet champagne.