Gonet-Medeville

The young estate was founded in 2000 by Xavier Gonet and Julie Médeville. The Gonet family had been growing grapes in the commune of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and producing Champagne wines for many years. Currently, Xavier's sister manages the Champagne house Philippe Gonet. After their marriage, Xavier and Julie—whose family owns Château Gilette and Château Les Justices in Sauternes, as well as Château Respide-Médeville in Graves—decided to join forces to create a small estate in the commune of Bisseuil in the Grande Vallée de la Marne. Today, they own 10 hectares of vineyards located in communes classified as Grand and Premier Cru. On 5 hectares in the commune of Bisseuil, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines are planted in equal measure. "The soils here are favorable for both varieties," Xavier believes. The estate's vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger in the Côte des Blancs—the kingdom of Chardonnay—cover an area of 2 hectares, with the remainder located in Ambonnay, Trépail, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The recently built winery building also houses the cellar. "We certainly don't have a 19th-century chalk cellar carved into the rock, of which my family, incidentally, owns more than one, but for me, only the quality of the vines mattered," Xavier emphasizes. Primary fermentation for the majority of the wine takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, while the remaining portion is vinified in old (at least three years old) barriques. The winemakers do not use bâtonnage or malolactic fermentation in the production process.