2014 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Special Club Cramant Grand Cru, Champagne

The 2014 Brut Special Club Cramant Grand Cru derives from 14 parcels in nine different lieux-dits (above all Le Bateau), and Gimonnet feels that it's the most successful of his stand-alone single-village bottlings. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of peach, white flowers, fresh pastry and brioche, it's full-bodied, layered and textural, with a concentrated and multidimensional core, incisive acids and a long, chalky finish.

95 points William Kelley robertparker.com May 2020 Drink 2022-2045

The 2014 Brut Spécial Club Cramant Grand Cru is another super-impressive wine in this range. It emerges from the Bateau, Gromonts, Buissons, Bauves, Bionnes, Champ du Prévôt and Briquettes lieux-dits. Orange confit, tangerine oil, white flowers, graphite and lightly tropical fruit infuse the Cramant with tremendous complexity to match its powerful personality. The Cramant is a rich, heady Champagne with a feeling of structure that leans towards the realm of Pinot. I loved it. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 14, 2019.

95 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com Nov 2020 Drink 2022 – 2030

The 2014 Pierre Gimonnet and Fils Special Club Cramant Grand Cru is a stunning expression of Blanc de Blancs Champagne, coming from one of the most revered chalk slopes in the Côte des Blancs. Cramant sits at the heart of this chalky spine of Champagne, where pure, deep limestone soils give Chardonnay its trademark precision, finesse and ability to age for decades. This is a terroir built for elegance and mineral drive.

Pierre Gimonnet and Fils is a family house that has been working these vineyards for generations, with a reputation for producing some of the most refined and terroir focused Blanc de Blancs in Champagne. The Special Club bottling represents the very best fruit from their oldest Grand Cru parcels, selected only in outstanding vintages and aged longer than their standard wines to achieve greater depth and complexity.

The 2014 vintage in Champagne was defined by freshness and clarity, making it a superb year for Chardonnay. In the glass, this wine shows lemon zest, green apple and white peach, layered with chalk, toasted brioche and subtle almond. The palate is precise and finely textured, with racy acidity balanced by creamy mousse and a long, saline finish that speaks unmistakably of Cramant’s chalk soils.

This is a beautiful wine for the table. Oysters, scallops, sashimi, roast chicken or even simple pasta with butter and herbs all work wonderfully, allowing the wine’s purity and texture to shine.

The 2014 Pierre Gimonnet Special Club Cramant Grand Cru is already drinking beautifully, but it has the structure to evolve for another fifteen to twenty years, gaining more toasted, nutty and savoury complexity. It is a quietly magnificent Champagne that rewards patience and close attention.