Gaston Chiquet Special Club Brut 2016 comes from one of Champagne's pioneering grower estates. Although the Chiquet family has farmed vines in Dizy since 1746, the modern domaine was founded in 1919 when brothers Fernand and Gaston Chiquet became the first growers in Champagne to keep their own grapes, produce their own Champagne, and market it under the family name. Today, eighth generation vigneron Nicolas Chiquet farms 23 hectares of premier and grand cru vineyards across Dizy, Aÿ, Hautvillers, and Mareuil sur Aÿ, producing wines that have become benchmarks for grower Champagne.
The 2016 Special Club is a blend of 68% chardonnay and 32% pinot noir. The chardonnay comes primarily from premier cru parcels in Dizy, with additional fruit from Hautvillers, while the pinot noir is sourced from the Griboury vineyard in Dizy. The vines are rooted in clay and limestone over deep chalk, soils that provide both richness and remarkable mineral tension. Produced only in exceptional vintages, the Special Club bottling must pass a blind tasting by the Club Trésors de Champagne before it can be released.
Each parcel is fermented separately in stainless steel and undergoes full malolactic fermentation. Nicolas Chiquet has long avoided oak, believing that perfectly ripened fruit, extended lees aging, and malolactic fermentation provide all the texture and complexity the wines need. The 2016 spent more than 90 months on its lees before disgorgement and was finished with a dosage of 6 g/L, creating extraordinary depth while preserving the estate's signature freshness and precision.
The 2016 opens with aromas of Meyer lemon, orchard fruit, brioche, toasted hazelnut, white flowers, and wet stone. The palate is both generous and remarkably focused, combining a fine, persistent mousse with vibrant acidity and layers of citrus, baked apple, almond, and chalky minerality. Long, elegant, and beautifully balanced, it is built to evolve for many years while already offering exceptional complexity today.
