A few names come to mind when thinking of the premier producers of the Côt de Blancs: Pierre Peters, Salon, and, of course, Pierre Gimonnet. The Gimonnet family has been making wine in the village of Cuis since 1750, and Pierre himself took over in 1935. The estate is now run by his grandsons Didier and Olivier, and the wines have never been better. Cuis is the home base, but the family has 29.4 hectares of prime parcels across the marquee terroirs and Grand Crus of the Côte de Blancs, including Chouilly, Cramant, and Oger. The secret factor that makes these wines so incredible is the fact that most of the family's vine are at least 35 years old, and more than 70% of vineyard holdings are over 40 years old and even some 100 plus year old vines!
The family focuses almost entirely on Chardonnay, and the house style is crisp and clean, allowing you to fully experience the white chalk soils the Grand Crus of the Côte de Blancs is so famous for. The wines strike the perfect balance of richness, striking minerality, and sharp acidity, and most cuvées are vinified and aged in tank before going through full malolactic, long lees aging, and topped off with a very minimal dosage. The wines are electric and powerful and yet also somehow delicate and filigreed like a beautiful Roman statue hand chiseled out of pure chalk.
This is the only cuvée in the line up that features Pinot Noir rom the Aÿ Grand Cru, and as the name suggests, it is meant to show the beautiful combination of Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in harmony.
93 Points from Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Champagne Cuvée Paradoxe Brut is, as the name suggests, a departure from the house range, coming in as 90% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and the rest Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. On opening, it displays a deeper straw hue, although it’s not over extracted. Aromas open to blackcurrant, brioche, rosemary, and crushed stone, and on the palate the wine is medium to full-bodied and ripe with a grapefruit citrus tone, an expanding mousse, and a long finish that closes with a savory flourish. This lovely wine retains the elegance of the Gimmonet range. Drink 2024-2034."
