Gonet Sulcova Grand Cru Extra Brut
The nose, lively, opens with citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit sorbet, with a touch of fern; Gault&Millau also finds ripe yellow fruits, blood orange and minty notes. The palate is tense and chalky, carried by the saline minerality of Mesnil-sur-Oger, with notes of plum and grapefruit zest,…
ALL CHAMPAGNES FROM GONET SULCOVAThe expert verdict
The structure of this champagne
TASTING NOTES
The nose, lively, opens with citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit sorbet, with a touch of fern; Gault&Millau also finds ripe yellow fruits, blood orange and minty notes. The palate is tense and chalky, carried by the saline minerality of Mesnil-sur-Oger, with notes of plum and grapefruit zest, leading to a slightly bitter finish. Lightly dosed, it is aimed at those seeking the taste of terroir without the mask of sugar. Serve between 8 and 11 °C; Bettane & Desseauve recommend drinking it until 2032.
The composition
Terroirs
100% chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger, grand cru of the Côte des Blancs, from vines around 30 years old, hand-harvested. The house selects the most mineral and least acidic plots in the village, and blends only a single year each time, as for a vintage. The grapes travel to Épernay in refrigerated trucks; fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled tanks, plot by plot, and malolactic fermentation is blocked. The wine ages in the house's chalk cellars, 12 metres underground, and is only sold after at least six years; the batch presented in its 2025 price list had spent eight years on lees. Dosage: 5 g/L. According to the house, around 7,500 bottles are produced.
About this house
At the beginning of the 20th century, Charles Gonet, originally from Vertus, settled in Mesnil-sur-Oger upon his marriage, his wife being from Oger. With their son Jacques, they developed the vineyard in the Côte des Blancs, which Jacques and Micheline expanded in 1958 with vines in Montgueux, in the Aube. In 1985, Vincent Gonet and his wife Davy Sulcova took over the estate and settled in Épernay to create their brand, Gonet-Sulcova, for which Davy designs the bottles. Their children, Karla and Yan-Alexandre, have taken over. The vineyard, certified Haute Valeur Environnementale, is planted with 80% chardonnay, and the house lightly dosed its champagnes to let the terroir speak for itself.
This is the cuvée that best showcases Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the village where the family settled more than a century ago, without the mask of sugar. It is also one of the house's most awarded: 94/100 in the Bettane & Desseauve Guide 2026, silver at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 with 92 points, gold at the Vinalies internationales in 2024 and 2025.
The perfect pairing
Aperitif
Its saline minerality and citrus notes call for the iodine of oysters: the house recommends this cuvée for seafood.
Starter
The pairing recommended by the house: its tension and low dosage leave plenty of room for shellfish and crustaceans.
Main course
Its long ageing gives it the structure of a wine meant for the table, and its vivacity cuts through the butteriness of sole.
Other champagnes
from Maison Gonet Sulcova
L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Consume in moderation.
