Champagne Michel Gonet Les 3 Terroirs Blanc de Blanc

“The soil does not belong to the man, but the man belongs to the soil”. In 1802 Charles Gonet created his own Champagne House. In 1935 Michel Gonet was born. Unfortunately due to a blocked oesophagus the new born Michel could not drink anything and breathing was difficult until he’d taken a sip of champagne and miraculously he could then breathe and drink. As Michel says, “Champagne saved my life”. In 1973 Michel left the family estate and established his own cellars, the focus entirely upon creating pure and environmentally aware champagnes. Fast forward to now with Michel’s daughter Sophie assisting, viticulture has been notched up and several hifalutin wine luminaries have been recruited. The bulk of the grapes grown on the Gonet land is Chardonnay, with Les 3 Terroirs being 100% Chardonnay from vineyards in Mesnil sur Oger, Vindey and Montgueux offering a mix of terroirs from chalk, limestone, marl, flint and clay. This combination of soil brings out minerality, floral crispness and richly aromatic Chardonnays. So, to the nitty gritty: what does it taste like? Complex and mature with notes of toast and hazelnuts, dry and bursting with apple, pear and lemon with spicy candied fruits and a full, rich, creamy finish. 6 years on the lees will do that.