Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Cuis Blanc de Blancs 1500mL

93 POINTS

Josh Raynolds - Vinous

(72% from 2008, 13% from 2007, 3% from 2006, 7% from 2005 and 5% from 2004; aged for three years on its lees before being disgorged in May, 2013; note that this is a magnum bottling and that the blend of wines is different than that for the 750-ml. version reviewed above): Light yellow. Poached pear, honeysuckle and quinine on the nose, complicated by a hint of toasted bread. Energetic citrus and orchard fruit flavors are softened by suggestions of smoky lees and vanilla bean. Turns spicier on the long, mineral-accented finish, which features juicy citrus and melon notes.

92 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

With its crisp apple fruit and touch of citrus, this initially seems to be merely fruit. Then, slowly, richness and a sense of maturity emerge to create a wine that is complex, full and rich. Open this an hour before pouring.

91 POINTS

Huon Hooke

Lightly toasty, bready bouquet with a little poached fruit and baked apple. The palate is soft and green-appley, gentle and clean to finish with relatively little aged complexity. Good intensity and vitality, then a long carry on the aftertaste. Refreshing.

90 POINTS

Stephen Reinhardt - Wine Advocate

I tasted two different versions of Gimonnet's signature NV Cuis 1er Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs earlier this year; both were excellent as usual. The most recent disgorgement from January 2015 is based on the 2011 vintage (+ 22% Réserve wines), and is very pure, lovely, fresh and delicate on the typically intense, chalky/mineral, well balanced and elegant palate. The lighthearted yet quite complex wine was disgorged with a dosage of 6.5 grams per liter. The forerunner, based on 2008 and disgorged in October 2014, was even finer and provided with a very god length.

90 POINTS

Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate

Gimonnet’s NV Brut Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Cuvee Cuis fills out nicely on the mid-palate, with a little more mid-palate pliancy and richness than the Belles Annees. Green pears, flowers and crushed rocks are some of the nuances that flow through to a wiry finish endowed with significant energy and polish. This is a striking effort from Gimonnet. Disgorgement date: August 2, 2012. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Didier Gimonnet’s Champagnes are cool, bracing and pure. All of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation – yet remain very much wiry – and are aged exclusively in stainless steel. A Terry Theise Selection, imported by Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

David Schildknecht - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Reflecting vintages 2007- 2010 – but overwhelmingly 2010 – as well including a smidgeon of 2002, Gimonnet’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuis 750 ml. Disg. 5/2013 exhibits crisp and juicy apple and cucumber tinged with chalk and pips, its palate impression notably polished and buoyant, and its understated finish pretty and persistent. It may well be worth revisiting for a couple of years. I have mentioned bottle size as part of this wine’s name because the magnums disgorged at the same time and under an otherwise identical label represent, confusingly, an entirely different base wine. Pierre Gimonnet farms nearly 70 prime acres – overwhelmingly in the Cote des Blancs – which are reflected in a similarly enormous range of different cuvees, most of them represented in the U.S. market in any given year and tasted by me for this report. What’s more, future expansion of official Champagne acreage around Cramant and Chouilly will offer Gimonnet opportunity to broaden his vine footprint. Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300