Gaston Chiquet : Blanc de Blancs d'Ay Grand Cru Brut

Tasting Notes and Characteristics of the Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs d'Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV

Tasting

Color

The wine shows a pale straw-yellow color with delicate green highlights, enlivened by a fine, steady stream of bubbles.

Nose

The nose opens on bright citrus and tropical notes - lemon zest, grapefruit, and ripe pineapple - layered with white flowers and hints of stone fruit, almond, and occasionally honey.

Palate

The palate is rich yet lively, carried by a taut, mineral-driven acidity and a creamy, enveloping mousse. Citrus and white flower notes return on a long, fresh finish, underscored by a chalky, saline minerality typical of its Aÿ grand cru origin.

Food and wine pairings

This champagne pairs beautifully with shellfish and crustaceans such as crab and lobster, as well as with delicate white fish. Its structure also allows it to stand up to richer, cream-based dishes, including poultry or fish served with a creamy sauce.

Serving and cellaring

The Blanc de Blancs d'Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV can be enjoyed on release as an elegant aperitif, or cellared for a few years to let its fruit and floral character evolve toward richer, more complex notes. Serve well chilled.

Other characteristics

This cuvée is crafted in a brut style, with its dosage liqueur made exclusively from the sugar and wine of the house's own Blanc de Blancs d'Aÿ, lending stylistic consistency across the range. Bottles are sealed with Mytik Diamant corks, chosen specifically to minimize any risk of cork taint.

Gaston Chiquet's Chardonnay Signature from Aÿ Grand Cru

The Estate

Officially founded in 1935 by the Chiquet family, whose winegrowing roots in Champagne trace back to 1746, Gaston Chiquet is based in Dizy, in the Grande Vallée de la Marne. The estate farms roughly 23 hectares across Dizy, Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and Hautvillers. Today it is run by brothers Antoine and Nicolas Chiquet, independent grower-producers who vinify only their own fruit under sustainable viticulture certifications, including Terra Vitis and Haute Valeur Environnementale level 3.

The Vineyard

This champagne is sourced exclusively from Aÿ, the only grand cru village of the Grande Vallée de la Marne, a terroir historically devoted to pinot noir rather than chardonnay. The vines grow on the Vauzelles and Hauts Crohauts plots, originally planted in the 1930s, on soils of clay and limestone over a chalky subsoil. The estate favors massale selection over modern clones and partially grasses over its rows to limit erosion and runoff, reflecting its broader commitment to sustainable viticulture.

Blend

As a non-vintage cuvée, this Blanc de Blancs brings together chardonnay from several harvests. In keeping with the house's practice, its non-vintage wines are aged on lattes for two to three years before release, well beyond the legal minimum, with each parcel kept separate until the final blend is composed.

Winemaking and aging

Grapes for the Blanc de Blancs d'Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV are hand-harvested and gently pressed, with the first-press juice drawn through a traditional vertical press and subsequent pressings handled on a Coquart press. Vinification takes place parcel by parcel in small stainless steel tanks, without any use of oak, and the wine undergoes a systematic malolactic fermentation to soften its acidity and build texture. It is then aged on its lees for an extended period before disgorgement.

Grape Varieties

100 % chardonnay.