We have locked in the final microscopic allocation of the 2019 Girard-Bonnet "Les Mussettes" Grand Cru Extra Brut on the West Coast, and quite frankly, you will be hard-pressed to find another bottle in the market. While a handful of global retailers may list it, our team secured the remaining stock of this highly anticipated second-ever release. This offer is a prime exhibit of why serious connoisseurs and Champagne fanatics are moving away from big brands and tired, overdosed NVs tailored for the mass market. While this isn't priced like a basic non-vintage Brut, it delivers a high-voltage, Grand Cru experience at a mere fraction of the cost of iconic têtes de cuvée like Salon or Krug.

Blown away at the National Importer’s Spring Catalog tasting, we found ourselves in a room of icons where this 2019 "Les Mussettes" simply blew the competition out of the water. Paul Girard, a young phenom born in 1995, is the architect behind this rising star estate in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. By merging his father’s legendary Le Mesnil holdings with his mother’s Oger plots, he has created a biodynamic powerhouse that captures the "chiseled" DNA of the Côte des Blancs. This is high-tension Chardonnay that echoes a 1er Cru Meursault from a top-flight producer, but with the explosive energy of Grand Cru bubbles.

The winemaking here is obsessive. Paul utilizes natural yeasts and extended aging on the full lees—often forgoing sulfur entirely until days before bottling—to protect the wine’s raw, unvarnished terroir. The 2019 "Les Mussettes" is a masterpiece, opening with a riveting nose of lemon confit, crushed hazelnut, and flint, layered with savory notes of acacia and fresh-picked thyme. On the palate, the wine delivers a massive, resonant breadth that is immediately countered by a bracing, saline snap and a razor-sharp Extra Brut dosage of just 1g/L. It is a Champagne of extreme contrast—opulent yet rigid, floral yet flinty—with a smoky mineral hum that lingers long after the last sip. As Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media notes in his 94-point review, the wine embodies "all the tension of Mesnil and the sheer breadth of vintage 2019... Superb."

For those seeking micro-production, "grower-style" transparency without the $200++ price  tag of the famous houses, this is a mandatory cellar addition. As Paul continues to refine his parcellaire bottlings in his new cellar, these early releases are destined to become the stuff of legend. Serve this in wide tulips alongside butter-poached lobster or aged Comté to truly appreciate its Burgundian soul. This isn’t just a new producer to watch; it is a rising star that has already arrived, and once our stock is gone, it’s gone for good.