Champagne Marc Hébrart: based in the Vallée de la Marne, Jean-Paul Hébrart, son of Marc, farms 14 hectares of vines on 65 different sites in 6 villages: the 1er cru vineyards of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Avenay, Val d’Or and Bisseuil and the grand crus villages of Aÿ as well as Chouilly and Oiry in the Côte des Blancs. Their vines are predominantly Pinot Noir, about 75%, and 25% Chardonnay.
Of Champagne Hébrart, Peter Liem writes on Champgneguide.net: “Hébrart’s wines have a broad appeal: if you like to think about your wines, they’re intellectually engaging enough to satisfy you; on the other hand, if you’re just looking to drink, they’re simply delicious. The wines are full and generous without being weighty, complex, and soil-driven without being demanding. Overall, the entire range is of consistently high quality, and represents excellent value for the money.”
We’ve got the 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs, the Brut Rosé, and the limited and rare Rive Gauche Rive Droite, all of which are totally drool-worthy.
Pierre Gimonnet: Didier Gimonnet is the second generation of growers to direct this superb estate, with 28 hectares of holdings in grand and premier cru villages, predominantly in the Côte de Blancs. The winery is in the premier cru village of Cuis where Didier’s family has been growing grapes since 1750. Pierre Gimonnet, Didier’s grandfather, started bottling estate champagnes in 1935. Their production is 98% Chardonnay, with 2% Pinot Noir.
We’ve got the Cuis 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs in small, medium, and large formats! 100% Chardonnay, full, polished, elegant, and sophisticated, a real crowd-pleaser.
Gaston Chiquet: Nicolas Chiquet farms 23 hectares in the Valle de la Marne in the villages of Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers, and Mareuil-sur-Ay. All of the fruit (including that which is used in the non-vintage cuvée) comes from premier and grand cru grapes. Nicolas does not employ any oak aging at Gaston Chiquet; he believes that concentration, fruit maturity, and malolactic fermentation impart enough body and texture to make aging in barrel unnecessary. His vineyards have an equal split of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Pinot Noir.
We’ve got Gaston Chiquet’s Brut Tradition in stock, which is 40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir. It is beautifully balanced and fresh, with notes of yellow fruits and warm biscuits.