2011 Michel Gonet Brut Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 750 ml

Unbeatable Value Grand Cru Vintage Champagne

It’s not easy to find value in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The tiny hamlet in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs produces some of the most expensive bottlings in the world — think Krug Clos du Mesnil at upwards of $1,000 per bottle. Here, the chalky, limestone soils yield rich, ethereal wines that last FOREVER. Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Chardonnay routinely goes for 30,000 euro/ton and nobody blinks an eye. So when we discovered the stunning 2011 Michel Gonet Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs at far less, we thought we’d beat the system. Then we found out our allocation would only be 300 bottles. Why? The lion’s share was earmarked for Per Se. Wine Access clients snatched up every bottle in record time. Our requests for more have turned up the characteristic silence from Champagne — until today. Another 300 bottles, just in time for the hot days of summer.

This is Champagne. Unlike in Napa Valley, where you’re considered part of the old guard if you’ve been making wine since the 1970s, here the traditions are centuries old. The Gonet family, for instance, has been crafting Champagne since the 1500s. Before that — yes, there is a before that — the Gonets were wine brokers in Beaujolais.

The family’s Champagne house — “Champagne Gonet” — was officially founded in 1802 by Charles Gonet, and it is his great-grandson, Michel, whose name graces the label today. It was Michel who modernized the family’s entire operation in 1973, digging 40 feet deep into chalk soils to construct a new, enlarged cellar and usher in a new era of quality for the label.

Today, Michel’s children represent the SEVENTH generation of Gonets to make Champagne. The history is mind-boggling, and so is the result. The 2011 Michel Gonet Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is a stacked deck. The Grand Cru limestone soils of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger are perhaps the finest in the Côte des Blancs, yielding profound minerality and a seductive, mouthwatering salinity. The Montagne de Reims acts as a buffer from chilly, northern winds, allowing Chardonnay to ripen beautifully, and scarce rainfall in the region results in supremely concentrated grapes, adding layer upon layer of rich fruit.

Made from 100% Chardonnay, the style of the 2011 Michel Gonet Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is rich, broad, and ample. It has aromas of red berries, flowers, mint, licorice, spices, and sea air that jump from the glass. The palate is intense, creamy, and seriously delicious. Drink now to 2028.

— Wine Access Wine Team