Gonet-Medeville : Les Savelons Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 2020

Characteristics and tasting tips for Les Savelons Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 2020 by Gonet-Medeville

Tasting

Colour
This sparkling white wine reveals a golden hue with delicate orange highlights, enhanced by exceptionally fine, perfectly integrated bubbles.

Nose
The bouquet is particularly expressive and complex. It first releases aromas of fresh raspberry, plum and wild strawberry, lifted by a citrus vibrancy reminiscent of mandarin. Autumnal nuances of undergrowth and fresh ceps then emerge, underscored by subtle herbaceous touches of basil and boxwood. With aeration, soft vanilla notes unfold.

Palate
The attack is broad and enveloping, with a fleshy texture. This generosity is perfectly balanced by a backbone of acidity and a chalky minerality that give the wine a vertical, lengthening tension. The palate echoes the juicy red fruit and blood orange, accompanied by delicate spices. The long, dry finish lingers on fruit and candied citrus aromas, with a delicate saline sensation.

Food and wine pairing

This gastronomic champagne pairs beautifully with roast poultry, such as guinea fowl with ceps or Bresse chicken with chanterelles. It also enhances noble fish such as turbot or sea bass served with a lemon and fresh herb butter, as well as mushroom risottos. Cooked pressed cheeses, such as a young Comté, also make a wonderful match.

Serving and cellaring

To fully appreciate the complexity of Les Savelons Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 2020, serve it at a temperature between 9 and 10°C, ideally in a wide-bowled glass to encourage aeration. This wine can be enjoyed now, but it will continue to develop in the cellar until around 2035.

The Gonet-Medeville estate reveals a rich, ample champagne

The estate

Founded in 2000, the Champagne house Gonet-Medeville was born from the union of two great winemaking families. Based in Bisseuil, it is now run by its owners, Julie Médeville, who hails from the Bordeaux region, and Xavier Gonet, a native of Champagne. The estate stands out for its artisanal, low-intervention approach, inspired by pre-war methods. With a vineyard of around ten hectares classified exclusively as premier and grand cru, the couple crafts structured wines built for ageing, vinified in old barrels without malolactic fermentation, reflecting the purity of the chalk and the rigour of long maturation.

The vineyard

This cuvée comes from a tiny 0.4-hectare plot in the lieu-dit Les Savelons, in the heart of the Bouzy grand cru, in Champagne. Facing due south on the mid-slope, the vines thrive on shallow brown limestone soils that allow the roots to reach straight down into the chalk. The estate favours low yields and applies principles drawn from organic farming, notably replacing mineral fertilisers with organic amendments to promote soil life.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage stands out for its historically early ripening. Particularly mild weather conditions and abundant sunshine allowed the grapes to reach an exceptional level of ripeness, ensuring great aromatic richness while preserving a fine natural balance.

Vinification and ageing

The estate's philosophy is based on minimal intervention. Alcoholic fermentation and the maturation of the base wines take place entirely in old barrels, encouraging gentle micro-oxygenation. To preserve freshness and ageing potential, no malolactic fermentation is carried out. The wine is neither fined, filtered nor cold-stabilised. Les Savelons Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 2020 then undergoes a very long period of ageing on the lees in bottle, lasting at least 51 months before disgorgement.

Grape variety

100% Pinot Noir