MV Gaston Chiquet, Champagne Brut Grand Cru "Blanc de Blancs d'Äy" Magnum Format (1.5L)

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. This soaring bottle is also among the most age-worthy values on the market–none other than Champagne mastermind Peter Liem wrote about enjoying the “expansive and exotically toned 1964” and “sublime 1953.” 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? Most estates would be charging triple digits, but at Gaston-Chiquet you get all that for what most grocery stores charge for the mass produced “yellow label!” Champagn