Gonet-Médeville, Premier Cru, Extra Brut Rosé, $71.50
Gonet-Médeville is a relatively young estate that represents the union of two winemaking families. Xavier Gonet comes from a long-established family of Champagne growers based in Le Mesnil. In 1997 he married Julie Médeville, whose family has been producing Sauternes for generations at their Bordeaux estate, Château Gillette. When Julie’s parents retired, Xavier joined her in Bordeaux to continue her family tradition. But they also wanted to carry on Xavier’s lifelong passion of producing Champagne, so in 2000 they founded their own Champagne house, Gonet-Médeville, in the village of Bisseuil in the Marne Valley. When his family’s holdings were being divided, Xavier opted to receive a small allotment of their top Premier and Grand Cru vineyard sites from which he could produce “exquisite, small-production Champagnes.” Today they farm all of their those sites organically and vinify each parcel separately to capture the individual terroir of each site before blending. Their Champagnes are known for their remarkable elegance and delicacy. We poured this wine, their Extra Brut Rosé, at our Champagne class in December and it was stunning. It is 70% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, 27% Pinot Noir from Ambonnay and Bisseuil, and 3% still red wine from Ambonnay. As an extra brut, it has minimal dosage and, like all of their wines, malolactic fermentation is blocked so as to accentuate the inherent purity and expressiveness. Some of it is vinified in old casks, adding richness and depth to this very elegant and focused wine. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, or anytime that you want to enjoy a lovely, celebretory Champagne.