2016 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Special Club Cramant Grand Cru

95 POINTS

Stuart Pigott - JamesSuckling.com

Deep nose of preserved and candied lemons with bread dough and toasted baguette. Concentrated and well structured, but the chalky minerality and the lively fine mousse give this a wonderful brightness and energy. Long really crystalline finish. From vines planted between 1911 and 1982 in the Terres des Buissons, Bauves and Champ de Prevot sites. Bottled in April 2017 and disgorged in November 2022.

94 POINTS

Kristaps Karklins - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Disgorged in summer 2024 with four grams per liter dosage, the 2016 Special Club Cramant Grand Cru hails from seven different lieux-dits. Described by Gimonnet as “nec plus ultra” among his standalone Special Club bottlings, this wine is another success. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of jasmine, Asian pear, citrus fruit, and hazelnut, it’s layered and harmonious, and one can see why Gimonnet thinks the blend (from several plots within the village) is greater than the sum of its parts. Leaner and a tauter than the 2017 rendition, it’s precise and focused, concluding with a long, saline finish. It has every prerequisite to be another long-lived edition of this generally age-worthy cuvée.

93 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2016 Extra Brut Spécial Club Cramant Grand Cru is airy and light on its feet. A Champagne of total understatement, this hovers over the palate with sublime finesse. This is 100% Chardonnay sourced from a blend of multiple old vine Grand Cru plots (some more than 100 years old). Crushed rocks, lemon peel, mint, white flowers, pear and tangerine oil all take shape. The Cramant is not an obvious or overt Champagne, but it is undeniably beautiful and alluring. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: November, 2022.