Gardet Cuvee Brut Tradition
- Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The color is yellowy honey gold. The aromas are decidedly winey and full. It explodes with hints of wheat and chalk. In the mouth it immediately gives white summer fruits with stone. Altogether fresh, with a full-bodied consistency that holds together. On the palate, the newest member of the family of Gardet wines, as seen in both the tightness and feel, bolstered by a fine acidity and a balance between creamy and bold. A solid structure with a fine future ahead of it - between the mild smoothness of Meunier and the directness of Pinot Noir. A fine balance of aroma, taste and long finish.
This is a champagne to enjoy for itself alone. It is suitable for small aperitifs and cocktails, with friends and family.
Blend: 45% Pinot Noir, 50% Pinot Meunier, 5% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Very complex aromas with brioche, croissant and bruised apples notes. Rich mouthfeel developing a precise style. Potential to age. Blend : 45% Pinot Noir, 45% Pinot Meunier, 10% Chardonnay
-
Wine Spectator
A rich, toasty style, displaying vanilla, gingerbread and whole-grain toast flavors, accented by citrus and hazelnut. There's adequate structure to keep this balanced and fresh on the finish. Drink now through 2012. 3,000 cases made.
In the 1930s, Georges Gardet, son of the founder, moved into a Velle Epoque residence in Chigny-les-Roses, with a very precise aim: to develop the Champagne Gardet brand, whilst continuing to supply wines of unimpeachable quality. To do so, he based his method on the secular Champagne making rules: a high quality grape supply and a wine making process filly oriented toward excellence.
This purpose and the respect of tradition are still at the heart of the current owners' preoccupations: the Prieux family. Deeply attached to their roots, the Champagne region, the family has been working in the arboricultural and agricultural sectors for years; passing on their love for their land from generation to generation. These values have shaped the family spirit which is now perpetuated by Christophe Prieux, President of Maison Fardet, and Olivier Legendre, Managing Director.
Maintaining the quality and character of its champagnes year after year, whilst taking advantage of the latest technological innovations in order to master even more finely, every parameter of "method champenoise" winemaking.
The essence of Maison Gardet's expertise lies in this priceless balance between tradition and modernity - a balance that defines the Gardet style.
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.’