The Gimonnet family has been in the Village of Cuis since the 17th century, working the vineyards as laborers, sharecroppers, and winegrowers. The Gimonnet house has 30 hectares of prized Champagne vineyards with many members of the family working at the estate. The Special Club is where the Champagnes from the Gimonnet lineup start to get very serious. It comprises some of the oldest vines that Gimonnet has. Initially created in 1971, it is sourced from plots at least over 40 years old, two of which are very old and were planted in 1911 and 1913. 100% Chardonnay, mainly from Grand Cru fruit, with 60% coming from Cramant, 26% from Chouilly, and 14% from the Premier Cru Cuis. This is consistently one of the best examples of Special Club Champagne, which, as many know, must go through rigorous testing every vintage before it can be accepted in the Club. Excellent expression, it combines silky texture and finesse with elegance worthy of the most excellent Champagnes. For many years, this was the flagship of the House, and while there are a few single village Special Clubs Gimonnet makes now, this is the original and is nothing short of excellent—over four years on the lees with a 5-gram dosage. 2018 is a fantastic vintage for the Special Club from Gimonnet; we have the only bottles of this new release from Gimmonet right now in the USA.