Pierre Gimonnet et Fils

The Story

The family estate was founded in 1750 in the village of Cuis, it has been in existence for over 250 years. In the beginning, the estate did not make wine, the Gimonnets produced their own grapes and sold them to the trade. They started to vinify their own champagnes in the interwar period and also offered fresh grape juice.

It was after the Second World War that Michel Gimonet developed his own champagne, racy and elegant cuvees, with already the style characterizing the Maison Gimonnet. Indeed, the estate has the particularity of making blends of mono Grand Cru cuvées favoring the assembly of several terroirs.

The estate

In the heart of the Côte des Blancs, 28 hectares classified Grand Cru and Premier Cru make up the Pierre Gimonnet vineyard. Most of the vineyard is Chardonnay and 5% of the vineyard is a red grape variety, Pinot Noir, with some of the vines over 100 years old.Eighty percent of the vines on the estate are over 30 years old.

Robert Parker ranked the property in the top 10 Champagne estates, recognizing the excellence of the terroir and the champagnes produced.

The wine is produced here using traditional methods, including fractional pressing and manual harvesting. In order to sublimate the richness and diversity of the vineyard, Michel Gimonnet had instituted as early as 1955 a parcel-based vinification carried out in "neutral vats" to ensure the respect of the particularities of each lieu-dit and the traceability of the fruit.

Thus, more than 40 "vins clairs" are born in the spring. Carefully monitored throughout their maturation, they are the basis for the blends that will then give birth to the estate's champagnes.

The cuvées known as "sans année" are thus elaborated from the blending of clear wines of at least five years, completed with reserve wines. The resulting champagnes offer unparalleled harmony and complexity.

Today, the estate has a production of 250,000 bottles per year.

The champagnes

- The Brut Cuis 1er Cru is considered by experts to be the signature cuvée of Maison Gimonnet et fils. It is a rather full-bodied champagne with an elegant mousse and aromas of fresh peach, lemon, honey, eggshell and white flowers.

- Brut 1er Cru Gastronome is a fine, smooth champagne, perfect for accompanying the tasting of a creamy dessert. The nose is delicate with notes of brioche, white fruit and vanilla.

- Brut 1er Cru Rosé des Blancs is an atypical cuvée, made from a blend of Chardonnay and 8% Pinot Noir. The nose is refined with subtle aromas of raspberries, strawberries and hints of clementines.