![Gaston Chiquet Brut Champagne "Tradition" NV (Champagne, France) - [JG 91] [WS 90,](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/products/GASTONCHIQUETTRADITIONSBRUT_{width}x.jpg?v=1668445707)
Gaston Chiquet Brut Champagne "Tradition" NV
(Champagne, France) - [JG 91] [WS 90, #86 of '22] [WA 90]
Regular price $75.00 Sale price $49.97 Save $25.03
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Nicolas Chiquet farms 23 hectares in the Valle de la Marne in the villages of Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers and Mareuil-sur-Ay. All of the fruit (including that which is used in the non-vintage cuvee) comes from Premier and Grand Cru grapes. Nicolas does not employ any oak aging at Gaston Chiquet; he believes that concentration, fruit maturity and malolactic fermentation impart enough body and texture to make aging in barrel unnecessary.
The vineyards are planted to equal (forty percent each) parts Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and twenty percent are planted to Pinot Noir. Gaston-Chiquet also produces a vintage dated Chardonnay from 5 parcels on the western side of the Grand Cru village of Ay. Usually recognized as a grand cru village for Pinot Noir, these vines of Chardonnay were planted in Ay in the 1930s.
About this Wine:cépage 40% Meunier, 35% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir
assemblage 80% 2014, 20% 2013
village/vyd Hautvillers 1er Cru, Dizy 1er Cru,
Mareuil-sur-Aÿ 1er Cru, Aÿ Grand Cru;
Clay and limestone over chalk
malo Yes
élevage Stainless steel
sur latte 48+ Months
dégorgement January 2020, February 2021
Ratings & Reviews
"Nicolas Chiquet certainly gives his non-vintage Brut “Tradition” plenty of aging prior to release, as this current bottling is from the base year of 2015 and was disgorged in July of 2021. It is composed of a cépages of forty percent pinot meunier, thirty-five percent chardonnay and twenty-five percent pinot noir. Twenty percent of the blend is from the previous year of 2014. The wine offers up a fine nose of apple, fresh-baked bread, a fine base of soil tones, a hint of hazelnut and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, elegant mousse, bright acids and lovely length and grip on the well-balanced finish. This is very good juice." (9/2021)
90 Points & #86 Top 100 Wines of 2022 - 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. Disgorged January 2022. Drink now. 1,850 cases imported." - AN (Nov 2022)
90 Points - 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." - WK (Mar 2021)