NV Maurice Grumier Jônt Special Edition Extra-Brut Champagne 750 ml

At Chef/Owner Ryan Ratino’s MICHELIN two-starred Jônt in Washington DC, every guest is greeted with a glass of Champagne—one that pairs perfectly with the small series of snacks that start the meal. These bites can be anything from caviar or wagyu tartare to a pork steam-bun or a savory foie gras doughnut. 

The Champagne? That’s always the Maurice Grumier Jônt Special Edition Extra-Brut.

This is a bottle that deserves a place of honor among the greatest bubblies in the world. Made using the same solera system that produces Jacques Sélosse’s four-digit-priced bottles, it’s pure Champagne luxury, striking a perfect balance between breadth and focus. For fans of fuller, richer styles of Champagne, we consider it a must-try.

Despite nearly 300 years of prominence in the Marne Valley, selling grapes to houses like Perrier-Jouët and Taittinger as well as crafting their own small-lot bottlings, Grumier had seldom reached the US. They make this bottle using a solera—an uncommon, expensive form of winemaking which entails holding vintages in barrel for years, then combining them in various portions to make up a bottling. Grumier started their solera in 2005, and this bottle (which comprises equal parts Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay) comprises 60% base wine from the 2019 vintage blended with 40% reserve wines. 

Bottled in 2020 yet disgorged recently, it’s an expressive, decade-spanning tapestry showing aromas of red and yellow apples, fresh wildflowers, crushed chalk, brioche, and baking spices, which intermingle effortlessly with toasted mushrooms, vanilla bean, roasted almonds, and a touch of quince. On the palate, juicy, refreshing acidity is balanced perfectly with bountiful flavors of fresh marzipan, blood orange zest, honey, biscotti, honeysuckle, honeydew melon, and toasted apricot.