PIERRE GIMONNET

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The Gimonnet family has been growing wine since 1750; Pierre Gimonnet, after whom the estate is named, began in Cuis in 1935. Today his grandsons Didier and Olivier are responsible for the winery.

11 of the 28 hectares of vineyards owned by the Gimonnet family are in Grand Cru locations in Cramant and Chouilly, and another hectare in Oger was added in 2004. The remaining 16 hectares are mainly in Premier Cru locations in Cuis, smaller locations in Vertus and Aÿ. Didier Gimonnet believes that preserving old vines is the key to high wine quality. The average age of its vines is 35 years, in the Grand Cru sites a large part is over 40 years old, two very old plots can be found in Cramant (Fond du Bâteau, planted in 1911) and in Buissons (planted in 1913).

Although Gimonnet has a high proportion of Grand Cru sites, he always refused to make a cuvée only from these sites. He wants to avoid ultra-concentrated wines and instead create balanced wines with finesse and elegance. With its freshness and acidity, Cuis embodies the ideal counterpart to the depth and fullness of Cramant and Chouilly. Gimonnet combines these three places in its Blanc de Blancs. Wines from the new plots in Oger and Vertus are only added carefully so as not to change the character of the cuvées too much.

All plots are vinified separately in order to preserve their character. The use of wood is avoided, fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place in steel tanks. Since 1982, some of the reserve wines have been bottled and given a little sugar to create a light perlage. This keeps the wines fresh. “When the wines are kept in bottles, they go through a completely different development. In tanks, the wine oxidizes much more strongly and faster. We preserve the wine in the bottle with 4 grams of sugar (and a little yeast). The wine stays much fresher over a longer period of time. In addition, the wine is becoming more complex. ”Since 1997, Gimonnet has been blending the base wines of a vintage into reserve wine instead of keeping the wines of the parcels separately. In this way, the wine gains in complexity and consistency.

The wines from Gimonnet are primarily pure, elegant and rich in finesse, they ripe incredibly well, at the same time very individual and show the classic character of the northern Côte des Blancs.

Facts: R.M., Cuis, Côte des Blancs, 250,000 bottles / year, 28 ha., 11 of them in Grand Cru locations in Cramant and Chouilly, 1 in Oger, the remaining 16 hectares in Premier Cru locations in Cuis.