I would love to welcome the full range of Champagnes by Domaine Girard-Bonnet into our portfolio. These four cuvées aim to illustrate the different facets of chardonnay according to the terroirs of the Côte des Blancs. They are intended to represent each village, highlighting the typical characteristics of each one in accordance with the philosophy of Paul Girard.
Nestled in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, within the Grand Cru appellation of Mesnil-sur-Oger, Paul Girard has revamped the Girard-Bonnet estate to both grow and create wines under his own label. The vineyards his cuvées are made from span 12 hectares of vines across the Grand Cru appellations of Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, along with the Premier Cru Vertus appellation. This estate takes an individualised approach to its vines, noting the unique requirements each plot needs to develop its own characteristics.
The Au Bout du Chemin cuvée is crafted to showcase the terroir of Vertus. This terroir yields an aromatic and highly pleasing Chardonnay with a generous palate - making it a champagne suitable for any occasion.
The Mon Village cuvée is a homage to Paul's home village, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. This blend captures the various soil types found in the village, including soils composed of colluvium and soils with exposed chalk. The wine is vinified in oak and the reserve wine aged in a perpetual reserve in large barrel to bring out the maximum expression of the terroir’s characteristics. You will discover a full-bodied, mature Chardonnay with a finely crafted palate, truly representative of the distinctive style of Mesnil-sur-Oger.
The A Mi-Chemin cuvée reflects the Girard-Bonnet estate as a whole, with 50% Le Mesnil sur Oger representing the Girard family and 50% Oger as an expression of the Bonnet family. In addition, this cuvée is also Paul's vision of Côte des Blancs champagne, with great minerality and a sharp but not aggressive acidity, sublimated by the aromas of white flowers.
Finally, the limited release bottle of Recueil Extrait No. 1 2018 is a similar representation of the estate as a whole with a balance of grapes picked from various parcels, yet it acutely focuses on the 2018 vintage and how the growing cycle presented the year. only just now disgorged at the end of 2023 it has been ageing for a long time and now ready to be enjoyed.
Please take the time to sample these bright and fresh Blanc de Blancs by Girard-Bonnet.
TASTING NOTES
AU BOUT DU CHEMIN PREMIER CRU 'VERTUS' NV
The NV Extra Brut Au Bout du Chemin Premier Cru is a pure Chardonnay picked in Vertus, mainly from clay soils with a 2020 base. A floral lemony frisson on the nose hints at fresh, young wine. Green apple almost meets a touch of chervil. The palate is beautifully light, slender and bright. It has sprightly but admirably fine mousse on its light, translucent, taut body. Brightness, freshness and lightness have decent echoes of saltiness and lemon. This Extra Brut is sprightly and very youthful with a clean-cut finish. Anne Krebiehl, Vinous.
A MI-CHEMIN GRAND CRU NV
The NV Extra-Brut A Mi-Chemin Grand Cru is a pure Chardonnay, half from Le Mesnil sur Oger, half from Oger, based on 2019 and 2020. A serene nose references both dried corn husk and fresh lemon peel. A linear straightness and tautness are immediately evident on the slender but full-flavoured body. Chalk casts an utterly mouth-watering saline spell, yet there is ripeness, juiciness and a certain exuberance, a lovely combo of sunshine and soil with a salty echo and nice tension. 92 points, Anne Krebiehl, Vinous.
MON VILLAGE GRAND CRU NV
The NV Extra Brut Mon Village Grand Cru is a pure, old-vine Chardonnay from Le Mesnil sur Oger, based on 2021, supplemented with a perpetual reserve from 2018-2020 that was kept in barrel. Fresh yeast and green apple flash on the shy nose, fleeting but distinct. Lightness is the main characteristic of the slender body, fringed by a touch of apple pip bitterness. This is beautifully mount-watering and very youthful with its recent disgorgement. It will benefit from just a little longer in bottle when it will be a sprightly aperitif of slender brightness. Short finish. Anne Krebiehl, Vinous.
RECUEIL EXTRAIT NO.1 GRAND CRU EXTRA BRUT 2018
The 2018 Extra Brut Recueil Extrait No.1 Grand Cru is a pure Chardonnay from Les Mesnil sur Oger and Oger in equal parts, from two plots, co-harvested and co-fermented, resulting in just one tank. The nose shows a lift of lemony honeycomb that translates directly onto the palate, where the light body, pervaded by a fine, creamy mousse of exquisitely tiny bubbles, presents a show of saltiness. Blonde, cold shortcrust and oatmeal provide the autolytic backdrop of this svelte, elegant and salty wine with its subtle finish. 92 points, Anne Krebiehl, Vinous.