Gaston Chiquet | Tradition | Premier Cru Brut | Vallée de la Marne, Champagne | NV
Wine Spectator: 90 Points — 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. #86 Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2022.
Jeb Dunnuck: 90 Points — Golden yellow hue, packed with yeasty aromas of fresh bread dough, golden peach, chamomile and ginger. A youthful and fluffy mousse fills the palate, leaning toward a full-bodied style, with a rich texture, well-balanced mid-palate and a broad-shouldered finish.
The Wine Advocate: 90 Points — An inviting bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, honeycomb, Meyer lemon and warm biscuits. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a youthfully frothy but refined mousse, a succulent core of fruit and ripe but racy balancing acidity. Already drinking well.
Gaston Chiquet is one of Champagne’s most storied grower-producers. In 1919, brothers Fernand and Gaston Chiquet became pioneers among the region’s independent growers by producing and selling Champagne from their own fruit — a tradition now carried forward by eighth-generation Nicolas Chiquet from the Premier Cru village of Dizy in the Vallée de la Marne. Tradition is the house’s flagship non-vintage Brut, a classic three-grape blend that has defined the Chiquet style for generations and earned a place on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list.
The blend is led by Pinot Noir, with Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, drawn entirely from Premier Cru vineyards in Dizy, Hautvillers, Mareuil-sur-Ay and Ay. The vines are rooted in clay and limestone soils over the region’s underlying chalk. Grapes are harvested by hand and vinified entirely in stainless steel, preserving the purity of fruit and the character of each vineyard site. Malolactic fermentation is completed in full. Following secondary fermentation in bottle, Tradition spends more than 48 months aging on its lees, developing a fine, persistent mousse and layers of fresh bread, biscuit and toasted nut complexity. Finished at a dosage of approximately 6 grams per liter.
Golden yellow in the glass, the wine opens with aromas of dried apricot, golden peach, fresh citrus and a hint of honeycomb, followed by warm biscuit, chamomile and ginger. The palate is lively and richly textured — nectarine, candied orange peel, white peach and slivered almond are carried by a lacy mousse and bright, racy acidity through a long, fragrant finish of white blossoms and lemon thyme.
Serve well chilled at 46–50°F. Pairs beautifully with oysters, shrimp, smoked salmon, sushi, roast chicken, pork, charcuterie, fried appetizers, mushroom dishes and moderately aged cheeses.
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Producer: Gaston Chiquet
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Cuvée: Tradition
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Classification: Premier Cru Brut
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Appellation: Champagne, France
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Region: Vallée de la Marne
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Villages: Dizy, Hautvillers, Mareuil-sur-Ay and Ay
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Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay
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Farming: Sustainable
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Soils: Clay and limestone over chalk
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Vinification: Stainless steel
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Malolactic Fermentation: Yes
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Lees Aging: 48+ months
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Dosage: ~6 g/L
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Bottle Size: 750ml
As a non-vintage Champagne, base vintages, reserve wine proportions, dosage, lees aging period and disgorgement dates may vary by release. Critic ratings may apply to different disgorgements of the same cuvée.
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