Guiborat Blanc de Blancs "Téthys" Grand Cru NV

Profile & Story

Champagne Guiborat has been based in Cramant, in the northern Cote des Blancs, since 1885. Richard Fouquet, the fifth generation, took over in 1996 at the age of 21 and concentrated on the estate's best three hectares — Grand Cru chalk in Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry — while a good part of the wider holding is still sold to Laurent-Perrier. He and his wife Karine, an oenologist, farm organically and make under 2,500 cases in an average year. 'Tethys' is the entry cuvee: 100% Chardonnay assembled each year from the same four Grand Cru single-vineyard parcels, vinified mainly in stainless steel, generally with malolactic fermentation, with a minimum of 24 months on the lees and 8-12 months in bottle after disgorgement, finished at a very low dosage of about 1.5 g/l. (Source: Polaner Selections, US importer.)