2025: LATEST ARRIVALS FROM CHAMPAGNE GIMONNET

These were assembled and shipped in November ’24, so they ought to be current in the U.S. market, and I’d suppose even any subsequent disgorgements would rest awhile before being sold by the domain.

I am absent the usual information sheets, and though I have requested them I won’t wait for them. Some information is on the back-labels, and besides, it can be useful just to taste. The contributing vintages and assemblages can be inferred, and the disgorgements can also be guessed at by the condition of the corks. I’ll find some way to distinguish the relatively “blind” samplings from those where I have every bit of relevant information.

UPDATE: between days 1 and 2 tasting, the data arrived. In fact the back labels give the salient stats, but the details are interesting and I’ll share them if they’re enlightening.

I’m going in flights of six, and each day I’ll go basic-to-top range so that I don’t taste all the “best” wines at once. At least for the first visits. Later I may jiggle the sequences and taste all the Clubs together, or some such indulgence. However, I WILL LIST THEM IN A LESS CHAOTIC ORDER, FROM THE BASIC TO THE MID-RANGE TO THE TOP AND THEN THE MAGNUMS. All Blanc de Blancs unless otherwise noted.

At least the first time through I’m only using the Juhlins. Later I may take another (likely doomed) whack at the “Krug” Riedel, and I may also try a Jancis glass, since Peter Liem told me he appreciates them for Champagne. UPDATE: Turns out that Riedel is very good for the magnums, which leads me to theorize that the glass was designed for mature wines with vinosity and little to no primary fruit. I’m relieved to find it’s useful for something, albeit my cellar is not replete with mature magnums, alas.

It was a lot of wines, and it took over two weeks to taste them repeatedly, and to see how they were when we drank them. It was of course a luxury to drink Gimonnet every day, even at the end when most of the wines had little mousse remaining. I did notice that the 2017s, as a group, tended to fade over the days – even the ones that were sensational at first – whereas the 2016s tended to blossom over the days – even the ones that were reticent at first.

Of all the wines, the bottle that traveled the greatest distance was the magnum of Cuis N.V., which at the end had soared over its “modest” stature and become a truly lovely glass of Champagne.

Into the foamy breach…..