Gimonnet Extra Brut Champagne Chouilly Spécial Club 2016

96 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(tasted in 2023 in France; 100% Chouilly Mont Aigu, planted 1951; aged more than 5 years on lees; 4.5g/L dosage; 3883 bottles). Gimonnet's precision is attaining new heights in Chouilly, even to the point of making more harvests even in the same plot, in order to capture the perfect moment of ripeness according to variations in soils and clones. The result is clearly apparent in 2016, a vintage in which the purity and precision of Gimonnet reach a wonderful high note. Pinpoint accuracy of white peach and lemon are accented with nuances of brioche and vanilla. The salty chalk minerality of Chouilly is pronounced, working in concert with bright acidity to draw out a long finish. An outstanding Chouilly. (Edition VII; 2024)"

94 points Audrey Frick (JebDunnuck.com): "The bright straw-hued 2016 Champagne Grand Cru Special Club Chouilly Brut was aged for 70 months on the lees, it did go through malo, and it saw 4 grams per liter dosage. The nose shows some real nuance, with a floral perfume lifting from the glass with delicate notes of sweet pastry cream, lemon curd, ripe pear, and chalky earth. Medium-framed and well-detailed, its more mineral texture and refined feel also reveal themselves, along with a refined pinpoint mousse and a delicate, rounded mid-palate. A very pretty wine from this vintage, it offers a bit more nuance and delicacy in this youthful stage. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. Drink: 2024-2040. (12/20/24)"

94 points Stuart Pigott (JamesSuckling.com): "Ripe and concentrated, but youthful, bright and light-footed, this has stacks of candied orange peel character plus plenty of bread dough and a touch of celeriac. Not as dry as you might imagine for Extra Brut, but very chalky with vivid mousse at the finish. Another year or two of bottle age could bring more. From the Montaigu site, vines planted between 1951 - 1991. Bottled on the 27 April 2017 and disgorged April 2023. Drink or hold. (7/4/23)"

93 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2016 Extra-Brut Chouilly Grand Cru is a powerful, deep wine. The intensely solar nature of the vintage comes through in a Champagne that shows a bit more tropical fruit and overall ripeness than the norm here. Old vines planted in 1991 and 1951 accent textural depth. Even so, all the elements are impeccably balanced. Apricot, orange confit, spice, white truffle and baked apple tart speak to the exoticism of the year. Low dosage of 4 grams per liter is expertly judged. Disgorged: October 2023. Drink: 2024-2032. (Dec 2024)"

93 points Kristaps Karklins (Wine Advocate): "Issuing entirely from the Montaigu vineyard in Chouilly, planted in 1951, the 2016 Special Club Chouilly Grand Cru is incisive and pure, reflecting the late-ripening vintage with all its attributes. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of white flowers, green apple and fresh lemon, it’s medium-bodied and bright with vividly chalky personality and a long, persistent finish. This is one of the most electric wines in the Gimonnet cellar from this vintage and justifies special pursuit. Vinified in tank, it was disgorged in July 2024 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. Drink: 2024-2044. (12/19/24)"

93 points Tom Hewson (Decanter): "Hailing from Chouilly's Mont Aigu, Didier Gimonnet's picture of Chouilly in 2016 opens with some up-front concentration of juicy pineapple, roasted apple and honey, before unfurling gently with some of the compact power of the year upon an airy, fluffy mousse and touches of citric bitterness. As per the year as a whole it is bright rather than tense or acid-driven, with energy up front rather than built with tremendous length – although there is the intensity here to take medium-term ageing. Drinking Window: 2024-2030. (3/2/24)"