Gaston Chiquet : Spécial Club Brut 2016

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for Spécial Club Brut 2016 Gaston Chiquet

Tasting

Color

The champagne presents a bright white-gold hue, enlivened by a fine and persistent effervescence typical of a Champagne built for long cellar aging.

Nose

The nose opens on a refined floral register, supported by the subtle complexity brought by extended lees aging, with delicate hints reminiscent of bread dough and brioche that add depth without masking the wine's freshness.

Palate

The palate is defined by taut acidity and a silky texture, with a stony, chalky sensation that echoes the terroir of Dizy and Hautvillers. The finish is long and graceful, carried by a delicate salinity that gives the wine its gastronomic character.

Other characteristics

Spécial Club Brut 2016 is a dry (brut) champagne, crafted with a moderate dosage that preserves tension and precision. The wine has fully completed its malolactic fermentation, a stylistic choice that brings roundness and stability to the base wines while keeping the overall balance fresh and vibrant.

Gaston Chiquet Spécial Club Brut 2016: a Premier Cru Champagne from the Marne Valley

The Estate

Gaston Chiquet is a family-run Champagne house founded in 1935 in Dizy, in the Grande Vallée de la Marne. Today led by Antoine and Nicolas Chiquet, the estate farms 23 hectares classified as Premier Cru and Grand Cru. As a récoltant-manipulant, Gaston Chiquet vinifies exclusively its own grapes, reflecting a philosophy that blends inherited quality standards with modern winemaking precision, true to its longstanding Champagne vigneron identity.

The Vineyard

The grapes for this cuvée come from carefully selected Premier Cru parcels located in Dizy and Hautvillers, in the Grande Vallée de la Marne. The vines grow on clay-limestone soils resting on chalk, a composition that favors deep rooting, balanced hydric regulation and the development of fine mineral and saline character in the wines. The estate's vineyard, with an average vine age of around 27 years, is cultivated following sustainable viticulture principles, certified VDC and HVE.

The Vintage

The 2016 vintage in Champagne was marked by contrasting weather conditions, with a difficult spring followed by a more favorable late season. In the Grande Vallée de la Marne, growers who managed disease pressure and climatic risks carefully were able to harvest grapes with good ripeness, allowing for the elaboration of balanced vintage champagnes.

Winemaking and aging

Spécial Club Brut 2016 is vinified parcel by parcel in small stainless-steel tanks, preserving the individual character of each terroir before blending. The wine undergoes a complete malolactic fermentation and is then aged on its lees for more than 90 months, a notably extended period that allows for the development of aromatic complexity and a particularly fine, creamy mousse.

Grape Varieties

This cuvée is composed of 68 % chardonnay and 32 % pinot noir, sourced respectively from Dizy and Hautvillers for the chardonnay, and from Dizy for the pinot noir, giving the wine a strong sense of geographic and stylistic coherence.