Maison Gamet
Vallée de la Marne, Champagne
“The idea is to continue working on the Champagne side, as something artisanal, to keep the philosophy of ‘récoltant manipulan’t, improving techniques in vinification and the cellar, but we also continue to develop on the farm side, since we were farmers from the beginning. The idea is to become closer with nature and change to do more in the vineyards to protect the environment and the expression of terroir.” – Marianne Gamet
Maison Gamet is nestled in the Marne Valley’s village of Mardeuil. The estate’s vineyard expands on both sides of the Marne River, the rive gauche and rive droite, which inspired the name of two of their stellar Champagnes.
Marianne Gamet instilled new vigour and perspective to her family’s estate when she took over in 2018. Today, she practices lutte raisonée1 and sustainable viticulture in her commitment to preserving its unique terroir and environment, as guaranteed by the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) certification2. The wines combine tradition and modernity to capture the Champagne terroir with remarkable sincerity.
Family History:
Victoire Garnier and Berthe Heucq, respectively from Fleury-la-Rivière and Mardeuil, founded Domaine Gamet. In the 1950s, François Gamet, Victoire’s grandson, and Robert Heucq, Berthe’s grandson, took up the estate. Post-war, their ambition was to revalorize the profession of winegrowers, so they recovered their vines and began to market their Champagnes themselves. In 1993, Fabienne Heucq, Robert’s daughter, and Philippe Gamet, François’s son, together decided to expand the estate. Today, they’re the third-generation custodians of Maison Gamet. They’re joined by the fourth generation, their oenologist son Jean-François, and daughter Marianne, the thinking head, whose ambitions are quickly redefining Maison Gamet’s future.
Although Champagne is the main topic of discussion, Maison Gamet also produces Ratafia, a grape juice liqueur or sweet fortified wine made from Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. Cider is also produced from the family apple orchards that grows 8 different varieties of apples. There is also honey from hives homed within the vineyard, where the bees gather pollen from vines and neighbouring trees and wild alfalfa.
Champagne Know-How:
Combining modernity and tradition, the wines are produced in stainless steel vats and oak barrels, resulting in a delicate balance of diversity and consistency. To guarantee the heterogeneity of the range, the Gamet family uses a variety of barrel suppliers, including some from Bordeaux and Sancerre. They believe that the know-how of a good winegrower does not stop at the making of the wine, but rather extends to their passion for transmitting the art of working with the grapes and understanding the Champagne terroir.
Gamet Terrior:
The Gamet vineyards are located on each side of the Marne River. The vines, 25 to 50 years old, are spread across 8 hectares of vineyards located in 3 villages – Mardeuil on the left bank, Fleury-la-Rivière and Demery on the right bank.
The estate is in a corner of Champagne known as the Côte sud d’Epernay. In this part of Champagne, the subsoil is chalky, with various soils mainly composed of clay-limestone and sometimes sand, marl and silex, especially in Fleury-la-Rivière. These soils confer minerality and a creamy texture to the wines that are born from vineyards facing difference directions, which imparts strikingly different characteristics.
NV Gamet ‘Rive Droite’ Brut
Rive Gauche is a blend of fruit from several Mardeuil terroirs, which account for 1/3 of their holdings. Here, clay-limestone soils are rich in minerals. The three key Champagne grape varieties are present – Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Winemaking:
It’s composed of 33% Pinot Meunier, 33% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. It’s vinified entirely in stainless steel. The wine spends 35 to 40 months on lees before disgorgement.
Tasting Notes:
This cuvée, elegant and of great finesse, is composed of notes of peach, lemon, quince, roasted almond, acacia flowers and frangipane. A fruity and floral cuvée offering acid poise and distinctive minerality, accompanied by aromas of fleshy fruits. It’s lengthy with a delicate mousse that scatters across the palate generously.
NV Gamet ‘Rive Gauche’ Brut
The Rive Droite is a blend fruit hailing from Fleury-la-Rivière and Damery; they have a particular affinity. Damery is closer to the river; its soil is composed of more marl. Fleury-la-Rivière has some sand and clay over limestone; it’s surrounded by woods.
The right bank vineyards are dedicated to Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir and the wine shows the warmth of Fleury (which faces south, southeast, and southwest), with the mineral backbone of limestone.
Winemaking:
It’s composed of 60% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir. Like the Rive Gauche, it’s vinified entirely in stainless steel. The wine spends 20 to 35 months on lees before disgorgement.
Tasting Notes:
Light copper coloured, this cuvée exudes fresh, fruity aromas and flavours of red apple, strawberry, and rhubarb, underpinned by generous fruit, a gentle tannic grip and a creamy chewiness on the finish.
2018 Gamet ‘Carres du Midi’ Zéro Dosage
The Champagne Carrés du Midi is a single vineyard Champagne made from Pinot Noir grown on the eponymous parcel in Mardeuil, on the left bank of the Marne. The vineyard faces north and was planted by Marianne’s grandfather in 1969. It combines generosity and indulgence in the most refreshing way.
Winemaking:
The Pinot Noir base wine was spontaneously fermented in demi-muid barrels (600-litre), and then bottled and left on lees for 10 months before the tirage took place. It was aged for 3 years and disgorged in July 2022.
Tasting Notes:
Complex, warm, powerful, sweet, and long-lasting are just a few attributes that come to mind for this great Champagne. It’s well-rounded with red fruits – strawberry and raspberry, boisterous yet beautifully meshed vanilla oak characters, toffee, and honey mead. A superbly crafted Champagne, the most elaborate of the three, that does not shy away from a crumbly, chalky acidity.
2018 Gamet ‘Heurte Loup’ Zéro Dosage
Straight Pinot Meunier Champagne remains a rarity, but when vinified so brilliantly you can’t help but love its layered complexity and opulence. The Champagne Heurte-Loup is a Pinot Meunier, single vineyard and single vintage Champagne produced from the eponymous parcel in Mardeuil, on the left bank of the Marne. The first vines were planted by Marianne Gamet’s grandfather in 1965, and the more recent ones by her father in 2006.
Winemaking:
The Pinot Meunier base wine was spontaneously fermented in demi-muid barrels (600-litre), and then bottled and left on lees for 10 months before the tirage took place. It was aged for 3 years and disgorged in July 2022.
Tasting Notes:
It’s still considered to be very young and will become even more complex over the years. It has typical Meunier aromas and flavours of yellow stone fruit, quince, and citrus. They are combined with lemon curd and brioche characters creating a creamy palate gifted with great structure and grippy mineral notes on the finish.
2018 Gamet Blanc de Blancs Zéro Dosage
The Blanc de Blancs is a penetrating Chardonnay Champagne produced from fruit grown in Rilly-la-Montagne, on the right bank of the Marne River. Maison Gamet is certified Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) and Viticulture Durable en Champagne VDC (sustainable viticulture in Champagne), meaning it operates as close to nature as possible. The warm 2018 vintage produced optimum concentration and balance. Fresh and fruity, it’s the perfect aperitif accompaniment.
Winemaking:
The base wine was spontaneously fermented in 600-litre demi-muid barrels, and then bottled and left on lees for at least 10 months before the tirage took place. It was aged for 3 years and disgorged in July 2022. This had for effect to round off the searing edge of the fruit, without resorting to malolactic fermentation so as to preserve its beautiful freshness.
Tasting Notes:
Expect smoothness and creaminess from extended time on lees and aging, and especially a wicked bite from zesty citrus notes, a sherbet tang and crackling, brilliant even, acidity racing across the palate. A real Champagne drinkers’ Champagne