Champagne Gondé-Rousseaux Chapitre I TS 17 Extra Brut Premier Cru NV

In the small commune of Taissy, a Premier Cru village just a couple miles southeast from the city of Reims and Champagne’s beating heart – you’ll find the small domaine of Champagne Gondé-Rousseaux. Édith Rousseaux and Didier Gondé, parents of the current winemaker Florian Gondé, founded the estate in 1976, with a little less than 4 hectares of vineyards planted to a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir.

Their focus has always been on single-vineyard micro-productions, and have chosen to farm their plots organically and biodynamically to extract the most complexity and energy from their small farm. They use very little sulfur in the production process, and avoid any non-natural addition or treatment whenever possible. Attention to detail is what they rely on to make clean, vibrant, and singularly expressive wines – and based on what we’ve tasted so far – this is done quite well, indeed.

This cuvee utilizes a base of the 2017 vintage, relying on a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 35% Meunier, with the final 5% being a blend of their unique reserve cuvee. Small lots of grapes are pressed separately, with a natural settling and fermentation to follow. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to preserve freshness, and the vin clair sees a careful aging of at least six months on the gross lees to build texture and roundness. From there, blending and bottling commences – with aging in bottle for a total of 5.5 years prior to disgorgement, and a tiny dosage of just 2 grams per liter added in July of 2023.

After nearly two years on the cork, this floral and creamy wine leads with a soft mouse and lightly golden color. Heady and enticing aromas of dry sherry turn to fresh sensations of orange blossom, and cherries. The first sip is loaded with impeccable freshness and class, giving tangerines, then raspberry jam, complemented by flint and smoke, with warm baked apple and mocha character that uplifts the bright fruit core into the realm of elegance. Vibrant acidity keeps this purring, and a spiced note develops on the long and seamless finish. This is really quite delectable stuff – a perfect showcase of complexity and depth, harmony and balance, that would compete in a class of far more expensive Champagnes ably. We secured as much as we could – but there is little enough to go around, and I’m afraid it won’t be enough to survive for long! Get a handful, ‘cause a single bottle of this simply delightful bubbly simply won’t do!