Gaston Chiquet Brut Tradition Premier Cru
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Winemaker Notes
#86 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2022
Golden yellow hue with a fresh nose of dried fruit (apricot) and a hint of citrus. Smooth palate, fresh, balanced and fruity (fresh apricot, white peach, citrus) with an aromatic finish.
Blend: 40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in May 2019, the latest release of Chiquet's supremely dependable NV Brut Premier Cru Tradition reveals an inviting bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, honeycomb, Meyer lemon and warm biscuits. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a youthfully frothy but refined mousse, a succulent core of fruit and ripe but racy balancing acids. It's already drinking well.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant and balanced, with flavors of nectarine, candied orange peel, slivered almond and oyster shell set on a lacy texture. Fragrant hints of white blossoms and lemon thyme show on the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
>A golden yellow hue, the NV Champagne Tradition Premier Cru Brut is packed with yeasty aromas of fresh bread dough, golden peach, chamomile, and ginger. A youthful and fluffy mousse fills the palate, and the wine leans toward a full-bodied style, revealing a rich texture as the mousse settles down, with a well-balanced and broad-shouldered mid-palate and finish.
Gaston Chiquet has made a name for itself as one of the best. In a region with thousands of small producers, it is a credit to owners Antoine and Nicolas Chiquet. Based in the evocatively named Dizy, the family first planted vines in 1746 but did not produce Champagne until 1935, when brothers Ferdinand and Gaston Chiquet took the bold step of setting up their own label, rather than merely selling grapes to the larger houses.
With vineyards in the great villages of Ay, Mareuil-sur-Ay and Hautvillers, they currently produce 15,000 cases each year, from a blend of 45% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’