October 28, 2022

GASTON CHIQUET Blanc de Blancs d’Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV

(Champagne, France) $60

This Grower Champagne comes onto the palate like a lightning bolt that splits the night sky in two. Electric and alive, the flavors—lime zest, vanilla bean, oyster shell, and wet rock—are fast and engulfing. Yet this is also a very textural Champagne of great finesse and aerial lift. I love its cool temperament. Gaston Chiquet was founded in the early 1900s and their Blanc de Blancs comes from vineyards in the famous village of Aÿ, known for superb Pinot Noir, but the Chardonnay that grows around the village is a knockout too. (I’m hoping some of this will be under the Christmas tree.) (12.5% abv)

95 points KM

Available at Wine.com

Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva are:

A. Names for different styles of Sherry based on the time they spend in solera

B. The classification hierarchy of wines in Rioja based on aging

C. New levels of vineyard designations in Spain, similar to French crus

D. Levels of barrel quality used to age Tempranillo-based wines

Rioja has a classification system based primarily, but no longer exclusively, on how long the wines are aged. The aging hierarchy includes Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. Crianzas are young, easy-drinking wines. Reservas— supple wines with flavors of earth and old saddle leather, are aged longer and are made in very good years from superior grapes from top sites. Finally, Gran Reservas, made only in exceptional years, come from the very best vineyards and are rare. The top red Gran Reservas are silky and languorously mellow—the kind of wines that were once cultural imperatives, slipped, as they were, down the raspy throats of cigar-smoking Spanish men. Check out our red Rioja wine cheat sheet below:

The Red Rioja Aging Hierarchy

Crianzas

Reds: Must be aged for at least two years (one of which must be year in oak casks).

Reservas

Reds: Must be aged for at least three years (one of which must be in oak plus at least six months of bottle aging).

Gran Reservas

Reds: Must be aged for at least five years (two of which must be in oak casks and the remaining two years must be in bottles).

Don’t-Taste

Here with a few items we’ve filed under the heading Don’t-Taste. (And, yes, the following all exist). Pinot Meow—Wine for your kitty. (You’d think cat-pissy sauvignon blanc would have been the first feline varietal but,… Continue reading

GASTON CHIQUET Blanc de Blancs d’Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV

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