The moment Champagne Pierre Paillard’s rosé offer nose dived to zero bottles last month, an influx of urgent requests came pouring in, asking if more was available. So, like Wallstreet in the ‘80s, we found ourselves in a frenzied series of calls as we tried horse-trading for additional quantities. But there simply wasn’t any left, and given the current landscape of global shipping, we were told it would remain that way for some time. In the midst of us hanging our heads, a close friend of mine hand-delivered today’s Premier Cru Rosé from one of Champagne’s most respected names, Gaston Chiquet. Our sorrows evaporated.
No Champagne collection is complete without a small arsenal of this, and not just because its flawless combination of opulence, refreshment, and precision is rivaled by only a few. The Chiquets are legends around here: They’ve been continuously tending vines in Champagne since 1746 and were among the very first in the region in 1919 to farm, craft, and sell their own label. They’ve since become a deeply revered name that’s frequented every fine wine establishment at one point, but one label in particular has stormed through the ranks to become a global standout: today’s Premier Cru rosé. A blend of Champagne’s three noble grapes from a trio of prestigious villages in the famous Grande Vallée, this lavishly textured and highly stimulating rosé showpiece is guaranteed to win over any crowd. And, coming in at just $55, it’s impossible to feel “guilty” from the immense pleasure it brings.
There’s a certain charm to European wines that domestic wines simply don’t possess: lineage. How many of us know something about our great-grandfather, or our great-great-grandfather? Maybe a name or birthplace, at best? For Champagne Gaston Chiquet, eight generations—with the ninth in training—have continuously farmed the vines of Champagne since 1746. My math puts us at five, going on six, “greats.” That level of dedication and tradition is simply nonexistent in an emergent wine country like ours. Currently run by brothers Nicolas and Antoine, Champagne Gaston Chiquet now comprises 23 hectares (quite large by grower-producer standards) that are all located within Premier Cru and Grand Cru villages. They cultivate all three noble grapes—Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier—of which are on nearly equal display in today’s delicious Premier Cru Rosé.
Although oak vinification is the hot trend for many growers, you won’t find a single barrel at Gaston Chiquet. They firmly believe in letting the purity and richness of their fruit shine without assistance, and when it comes to the lush results of their flagship rosé, it’s impossible to disagree. Today’s release predominately hails from the 2016 vintage, with small percentages of older reserve wine blended in. The grapes were manually harvested parcel by parcel and transported to their winery in small, breathable crates. Following alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the wine was blended (40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Meunier) and bottled in the spring of 2017 where it aged on its fine lees until disgorgement in late 2019. In order to get its vibrant salmon-orange color, a healthy splash of still Pinot from 2013 and 2015 was blended in. The final product was given a dosage of nine grams per liter.
Chiquet’s Premier Cru Brut Rosé pours a brilliant deep salmon with light orange hues in the glass and erupts with a seductive and generous nose that quickly proves why it’s among the most stylish rosé bottlings in Champagne. There’s no shortage of flavor and depth in this hedonistic beauty: ripe wild strawberries and raspberries rip out of the glass, followed by crème fraîche, sweet cherries, rose, damp white flowers, crushed wet stone, blood orange zest, and brioche. The palate is simultaneously rich and refreshing, flaunting layers of plump berries and fleshy white peach that stretches out on a backbone of mouthwatering acidity and crushed-stone minerality. It’s not anything like Pierre Paillard’s rosé from last month: this is unapologetically lush yet perfectly balanced which makes just as addicting—if not more so! Enjoy in flared tulips or all-purpose stems around 50 degrees and try your best not to hoard an entire bottle for yourself. Cheers!
