You’re bound to hear stories about Gaston Chiquet’s “Blanc de Blancs d’Aÿ”, and not just because importing legend Terry Theise calls it “innately lovable,” critic Antonio Galloni endorses it as “one of the most distinctive wines in the range,” or we deem it an incredible example of luxurious, exotic Chardonnay. While all that certainly deserves your attention, the driving force of this frenetic buzz lies within the wine’s mythical aging properties.
Today’s Grand Cru hails from Aÿ, a village historically and overwhelmingly planted to Pinot Noir, but because the Chiquets have fastidiously clung to their small trove of Chardonnay for generations, they’ve harnessed its earth-shattering profundity and richness. It hasn’t been lost on connoisseurs: Whether it’s John/Jane Doe discovering a 20+-year-old disgorgement in perfect form or Champagne mastermind Peter Liem enjoying the “expansive and exotically toned 1964” and “sublime 1953,” this is among the most age-worthy value bottlings on the market. This master craftsmanship isn’t by chance: The Chiquets have been farming vines since 1746 and were among the very first to escape the clutches of the all-powerful Champagne Houses in 1919 by harvesting, bottling, and selling their own wine. A rare Blanc de Blancs in a Pinot-dominate Grand Cru terroir, from an “OG” grower-producer, that can age for generations? If you told me the price was over $100, I’d certainly hand over the money, but tell me it’s half of that, and I’ll chuck my entire wallet at you!
There’s a certain charm to European wines that domestic wines simply don’t possess: lineage. How many of us know anything about our great-grandfather—what about our great-great-grandfather? Perhaps a name, maybe a birthplace? For Champagne Gaston Chiquet, eight generations—with the ninth in training—have continuously farmed the vines of Champagne since 1746. My math puts me at five, going on six, “greats.” That level of dedication and tradition is simply nonexistent in a 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. Although they cultivate all three noble grapes—Chardonnay, Meunier, and Pinot Noir—today’s flagship cuvée focuses entirely on Chardonnay in Grand Cru Aÿ, a village planted to nearly 92% red grapes.
Although the trend for many growers, you won’t find a single oak barrel at Gaston Chiquet. They firmly believe in letting the purity of fruit shine through, and when it comes to the luxurious results of their Chardonnay in Aÿ, it’s impossible to disagree. Today’s wine comes entirely from the 2014 harvest. The grapes were manually harvested parcel by parcel and transported to their winery in small, breathable crates. Following alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, the wine was bottled in the spring of 2015, where it aged on lees until disgorgement in early 2019. It was given a light six-gram dosage.
By now, it probably goes without saying that Chiquet’s “Blanc de Blancs d’Aÿ” benefits from extended maturation, so the fact that it spent four years on lees and has now been in bottle for 14+ months since disgorgement should make you all the more excited. While it is indeed in a beautiful drinking window now, I urge you to conduct your own simple experiment by storing a few bottles in your dark, cold, humid basement and cordoning off that area for several years.
The wine pours a deep yellow with flashes of silver and green and immediately unleashes the intensity, vinosity, and richness of Grand Cru Chardonnay from Aÿ. It delivers a mouthwatering spread of pineapple, white peach, citrus blossoms, nectarine, pink grapefruit, lemon cream, brioche, roasted nuts, fresh white flowers, crushed chalk, and a touch of honey. Compared to the nervy, laser-beam, mineral-packed Chardonnay bottlings from the Côte des Blancs, this is a plush, texturally broad, hedonistic crowd-pleaser loaded with flavor—I find it nearly impossible to make enemies with anyone’s palate. Enjoy in Burgundy stems around 50 degrees and, remember, do your best to hold onto your remaining bottles!
