Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Oger Grand Cru Brut NV 750ml

80% Terres de Noël and Brulis and 20% Champs Nérons, Didier describes it as “A new experience; more masculine, less fruity and more austere…” not to mention it consists of two things he said he’d never do—single-commune wine, and (entirely) Grand Cru wine. I honestly don’t believe this arose from either sensory or philosophical curiosity, as much as from the unsuitability of Oger within the existing Gimonnet blends. So the choice was, either to compromise the vision of the domain, or to isolate this outlier Oger! Deg. March 8 2016, I found it a round, savory wine; roasted veg, mirabelle, cookie dough, roasted cheese; quite focused for all that savor and quite present considering it only had 18 months of tirage. “It’s a lazy man’s wine; we make it and it comes out good.” Transplant this to Oger itself and it promptly joins the ranks of the best.