KCQ-2
Champagne Blanc de Blancs d’Ay, Gaston-Chiquet
| Cépages: 100% Chardonnay |
| Assemblage: 100% 2013 |
| Vineyard/Village: Aÿ Grand Cru |
| Malo: yes |
| Elevage: Stainless steel |
| En Tirage Aging: 42 months |
Producer:
Country:
France
Region:
Champagne
Appellation:
Vallee de la Marne
Variety:
Chardonnay
Color:
White
Case Pack:
12
Bottle Size:
750
Farming Practice:
Sustainable
Import Partner:
Terry Theise
UPC:
8 1216102008-3
Tasting Notes
Of course the first all-CH wine ever bottled from Aÿ; it’s like the poster child for farmer-fizz. And it’s a wine that loves time on the cork. Not decades, mind you, but 3-5 years, after which it tastes like an ether of Bollinger. This is now all 2012, disg 3/2016, and it’s a round and doughy iteration of this always-fascinating wine, expressed with force and conviction. You could do a KILLER horizontal tasting of BdB Champagnes, using this (for Aÿ), Goutorbe’s (for Bisseuil), Chartognes Heurtebise (for Merfy), Moussé’s (for Cuiles) and Geoffroy’s ”Volupté” (for Cumières) and have five radically different expressions of Chardonnay without even setting foot in the Côte des Blancs. Let me know if some nimrod in the audience still insists terroir is a myth….POS Resources
Request a shelf talker/case cardPress & Reviews
Parker
Score:
90
Date:
2011-11-30
Review:
The NV Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs d'Ay is 100% Chardonnay, quite unusual for a village known for its Pinots. It is a pretty, supple wine typical of the year in its soft fruit and accessible personality. As always, this wine is much more about Chardonnay from Ay than it is about anything else. It shows lovely nuance in a crystalline expression of fruit supported by clean mineral notes. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. This bottle was disgorged on April 5, 2011. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.
Spectator
Score:
90
Date:
2013-11-01
Review:
A lively bead carries flavors of fresh-cut apple, biscuit, apricot and lemon curd in this firm and chalky blanc de blancs. The lightly smokey finish offers an echo of minerality. Drink now through 2018. -A.N.
Tanzer
Score:
92
Date:
2012-12-14
Review:
(made entirely from 2008 fruit; disgorged February, 2012): Pale straw. High-pitched aromas of lime and lemongrass, with chalky mineral and floral notes adding complexity. Taut, incisive citrus fruit and mineral flavors show impressive clarity and pick up notes of green apple and honeysuckle with air. Clean and nervy on the mineral-driven finish. - Josh Raynolds
Vinous Media
Score:
91
Date:
2013-11-01
Review:
The NV Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs d’Aÿ is beautifully focused and pointed. Sweet, layered and expressive, the Blanc de Blancs impresses for its balance and overall sense of harmony. The aromas and flavors are alive and perfumed throughout. Raspberry, lingonberry, white flowers and pears flow through to an inviting, crystalline finish supported by beams of minerality. This is another striking wine from Chiquet. Aÿ is Pinot country in Champagne, but Chiquet also excels with his Blanc de Blancs. The Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, 2009 vintage, done in steel. This bottle was disgorged in December 2012.
