NV Philippe Gonet 3210 Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Champagne 750 ml

Needless to say, we were a little out of place.

We recently found ourselves at a Silicon Valley soirée toasting a friend-of-a-friend’s Series A funding. Judging by the Mouton and Grand Cru Burgundy open on the bar, the capital investment was a generous one. 

But what piqued our interest even more than the iconic reds was the bubbly being poured—and consumed—with abandon. We expected Krug or Dom Pérignon—but the bartenders were doling out the lightly frothing, gold-hued Philippe Gonet 3210 Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Champagne.

We asked the host why he’d gone with Gonet. “It’s the best deal on the market,” he said. After trying it at Le Bernardin and seeing it on the list at Guy Savoy and Robuchon in Paris and L'Assiette Champenoise in Reims, it became his go-to sparkler, even when price is no object. 

Based in the Grand Cru village of Les Mesnil-sur-Oger—the home of some of Champagne’s most hallowed terroir—Philippe Gonet is a stone’s throw from the iconic house of Salon and their cellars sit just steps from Clos du Mesnil, where Krug fashions one of the world’s most famous single-plot Champagnes.

Made in the proximity of these giants, this bone-dry, nakedly pure thriller is the insider’s smart buy—a bottling that Vinous has said “stands out for its pure class.” First produced in 2009, this all-time favorite cuvée is the handiwork of a seventh-generation brother-and-sister pair, Pierre and Chantal. They inherited the estate, which dates back to 1830, when they were in their early 20s, and picked up where their late father left off. Now they manage to produce bottles with peerless nuance and class, reflecting priceless terroir without a daunting price.