Mindblowing Champagne from Philippe Gonet

It is not every day that one has the chance to drink a Champagne from the most sought-after villages in Champagne, or from the best vintage of a generation, or from vines of nearly 100-years old. When all of that can be found in one wine, it ought to be a special occasion indeed to taste it. The 2008 Philippe Gonet "Cuvée Belemnita" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne made my Thursday a special occasion—it delivers on all its promise, and then some. It is in contention to be the best bottle of Champagne in stock at K&L—at any price.

This wine comes from one plot of Chardonnay in the world famous village of Mesnil, a plot planted by the great grandfather of Chantal and Pierre Gonet (the current proprietors) back in 1929. The vines go deep into the Belemnita soil that gives this cuvée its name, the best chalk in all of Champagne, full of fossilized shellfish—many of which are now extinct, but so common in Mesnil that you can fill your pockets with them after a short tour of the vineyard. This wine is the product of a single-press load—only 2700 bottles were made, and we received just 10 cases. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and dosed very low at 3 grams per liter. Although labeled as an Extra Brut, this wine is perfectly balanced and not at all austere, as the richness given by the ancient vines needs little in the way of sugar.

We had this with a salmon dinner in our garden, and it worked as wonderfully with the food as it did for the aperitif before sitting down. With 12 years of age, this 2008 is loaded with toasted brioche aromas. In the mouth, it is a clinic on Belemnita chalkiness, but doesn’t go over the line into austerity thanks to the white fruit of the perfect vintage and the bready fullness given by the time on the lees. The finish is as long as they come with a true peacock’s tail of complexity. The lifted acidity promises that this will age for decades to come, if you have a cellar that is far away from your home refrigerator! I know it is going to be hard for me to keep my hands of the few bottles that I have bought!

A toast to you!

- Gary Westby