Côte des Blancs Champagne house with Chardonnay led wines, historic Cramant parcels, and Premier Cru and Grand Cru bottles.
The producer
Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils holds 28 hectares across the Côte des Blancs and Grand Cru villages, with 99% Chardonnay and 1% Pinot Noir. The family vineyard was founded in 1925, and estate Champagne bottling began in 1935. Le Fond du Bateau and Buisson in Cramant are historic Chardonnay parcels. The named wines include Fleuron 2019, Rosé de Blancs Premier Cru, and Special Club bottles from Chouilly and Oger.
Known for
Chardonnay led Grand Cru Champagne
Notable facts
The estate holds 28 hectares of vineyards across the Côte des Blancs and Grand Cru villages.
Vineyard composition is 99% Chardonnay and 1% Pinot Noir.
Seventy percent of the holdings are over 30 years old, and 40% are more than 40 years old.
Annual production is about 250,000 bottles.
The story
Cramant Plantings From 1911
Le Fond du Bateau and Buisson are two named lieux dits in Cramant. Le Fond du Bateau was planted in 1911, and Buisson in 1913. Both are 100+ year old Chardonnay parcels. A lieu dit is a named vineyard place, so these names preserve the location of the plantings as well as their age. The dates belong to the parcels themselves, not to a vintage, giving two concrete markers for the vineyard history of Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils.
From the atlas
Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils
A Côte des Blancs Champagne house built around estate Chardonnay, Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines, and historic Cramant parcels.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Champagne, France
Vineyard focus
Côte des Blancs holdings and Grand Cru villages
Main grape
Chardonnay, with Pinot Noir also present
Range
Vintage, rosé and Special Club sparkling wines
Distinctive parcels
Le Fond du Bateau and Buisson in Cramant
The Producer
Chardonnay accounts for 99% of the estate's vineyard plantings, with Pinot Noir making up the remaining 1%. The house holds 28 hectares across the Côte des Blancs and Grand Cru villages. Seventy percent of the holdings are over 30 years old, and 40% are more than 40 years old.
Annual production is about 250,000 bottles. The family has grown grapes in Cuis since 1750. The vineyard foundation came in 1925, and estate Champagne bottling began in 1935. Pierre-Guillaume and Arnaud have recently joined the estate as fourth generation members.
Place
The estate's holdings extend through the Côte des Blancs and include Grand Cru vineyards. Cramant contains the named parcels Le Fond du Bateau and Buisson, historic Chardonnay plantings within the house's vineyard holdings.
Grand Cru and Premier Cru are Champagne vineyard classifications. Grand Cru is the highest level and Premier Cru the level below it. Both terms appear in the names of the house's bottles and signal vineyard status on the label.
Wines
The range includes Pierre Gimonnet Fleuron 2019, Pierre Gimonnet Rosé de Blancs Premier Cru, Pierre Gimonnet Special Club Chouilly Grand Cru 2015, and Pierre Gimonnet Special Club Oger Grand Cru 2015. Fleuron is the 2019 vintage bottle. Rosé de Blancs supplies the rosé style, while the two Special Club wines carry Chouilly and Oger Grand Cru names.
Rosé de Blancs is made from 93.5% Chardonnay and 6.5% Pinot Noir. The range joins a rosé built from both estate grapes with vintage wines named for Grand Cru villages.
In The Glass
Rosé de Blancs opens with redcurrant, wild berry and blood orange, followed by herbal and toasted notes. The palate brings fleshy nectarine, stone fruit and raspberry.
Special Club Chouilly Grand Cru 2015 shows pronounced chalk and mineral character through a persistent finish. Special Club Cramant 2015 brings tarragon nuance, herbal finishes and jade pearl rice aromas.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Pierre Gimonnet Rosé de Blancs Premier Cru. It spends 20+ months on lees and carries 5 g/L dosage. Lees are the yeast sediment left after fermentation, and extended contact can add texture and soften the mousse. Dosage is the sugar added after disgorgement. This bottle places rosé colour, grape proportions, lees time and dosage in one cuvée.
Final Word
Pierre Gimonnet & Fils joins Chardonnay led vineyards and historic Cramant parcels with bottles carrying Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyard classifications.