2016 Michel Gonet Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru "Mesnil-Sur-Oger", Extra Brut, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

Sourced entirely from Grand Cru vineyards in Le Mesnil sur Oger, this bottling focuses on one of the purest chalk terroirs in Champagne. The vineyards sit on deep belemnite chalk soils that naturally regulate water and promote slow, even ripening in Chardonnay. Fermented parcel by parcel and aged extensively on lees, the wine is produced with a restrained approach in cellar to allow the mineral structure and tension of Mesnil to remain at the forefront. Low dosage of 2g/L. 

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The story of Champagne Michel Gonet begins in 1802, when Charles Gonet founded the family’s Champagne house in the Côte des Blancs. More than two centuries later, the estate remains family owned, rooted in Chardonnay and the chalk soils of Mesnil sur Oger, Avize, and Oger. Across generations, the Gonets quietly built a reputation as growers first, farming their own vineyards and bottling wines that speak directly to place rather than a heavily manipulated house style. Their work has long centered around expressing the nuances of Chardonnay through site specific farming, careful élevage, and restrained winemaking.

In 1973, Michel Gonet and his wife Annie established their own cellar in Avize, further sharpening the family’s focus on terroir driven Blanc de Blancs Champagne. The house farms vineyards across the Côte des Blancs as well as Montgueux and Vindey, allowing them to work with a broad range of soils and exposures while maintaining a clear identity built around mineral precision and texture. Fermentations are carried out parcel by parcel with long lees aging and modest dosage levels designed to preserve the structure and character of each site. Today the estate remains family operated and continues to champion sustainable farming and low intervention cellar work.

The total holdings are around 40 hectares, consisting mostly of Chardonnay on the Côte des Blancs. The vines are located in the villages of Le Mesnil sur Oger, a little further south, in Vindey on the Sézannais hillsides, and also near Troyes, on the slopes of Montgueux.