Champagne Gondé-Rousseaux Chapitre II Blanc de Noirs Brut 2018

This Champagne is one not to skip over, folks. It comes from the 2018 vintage, relying on a blend of 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir, where small lots of grapes are pressed separately, with 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 the bottle for more than five years prior to disgorgement, finishing with a Brut dosage.

Aromas from the glass are floral and creamy, as the wine leads with a soft mouthfeel and lightly golden color. The nose opens with marzipan, then dried apricot, lilacs, vanilla bean, and milk chocolate. The palate is significantly more bright, and winds you through a thrilling maze of flavors, with a penetrating acidity that tingles and pleasantly bites the tongue – complete with stone fruit notes of nectarines, plums, and apricots, and accented with creamy nougat, spiced clove, and a wet stone minerality. This is really quite exciting stuff – an enthralling showcase of complexity and depth, harmony and balance, and would easily compete in a line-up of Champagnes at least twice the price. 

The focus of Champagne Gondé-Rousseaux has always been on single-vineyard micro-productions, and they 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 additions or treatment whenever possible. The quaint domaine rests in the small commune of Taissy, a Premier Cru village just a couple of miles southeast of the city of Reims and Champagne’s beating heart. Édith Rousseaux and Didier Gondé, parents of the current winemaker Florian Gondé, established the estate in 1976, with a little less than 4 hectares of vineyards planted to a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir.

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. We got as much as we could, but it’s still not much, and we sincerely wish we had much more! Get a couple, because these won’t last, and I’m certain you’ll be keen to have experience this again after you have a taste!