Champagne Gaston Chiquet Cuvee de Reserve Brut

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. Their Cuvee de Reserve Brut includes 40% Meunier, 35% Chardonnay, and 25% Pinot Noir that saw 72 moths of aging prior to disgorgement. 'The NV Brut Cuvée de Réserve from Gaston Chiquet is showing well, offering up a classy bouquet yellow orchard fruit, warm biscuits, hazelnuts and peach. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, it's deep and layered, with a sweet core of fruit and an ultra-refined mousse. While it's hard to resist today, such is the wine's inherent generosity, a few more years on cork will be rewarded with even greater complexity.' - Robert