Occupying a Special Place
2004 Chiquet Spécial Club
Subtlety in Benchmark Vintage
"This is first-class all the way. One of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Chiquet." -Antonio Galloni
We think so too.
Chiquet has released some show-stopping fizz over the years, but their 2004 Spécial Club takes all of their signatures and brings them to a whole other level.
It serves as a potent reminder that among the growing ranks of grower Champagnes, Chiquet, who has been bottling their own Champagne since 1919, remains one of the finest.
Within these ranks, the wines of Gaston Chiquet occupy a special space: For all their pedigree and nobility, Chiquet's could be called rather quiet wines, speaking honestly, with an acute sense of articulacy, a certain decorum, secure in the knowledge that they don't have to shout to make a point. It's a beautiful, eloquent, fresh perspective.
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The wines just possess a wonderful clarity.
Their 2004 Spécial Club shows this purity of expression with rare intensity of concentration. In 2004, the Chiquet's Spécial Club is a blend of 70% Chardonnay from Dizy and 40% Pinot Noir from Hautvillers and Aÿ, one of Champagne's top Grand Cru's (along with Verzenay, Ambonnay, Cramant and Mesnil),
The result is a Champagne of finely tuned balance with a riveting cut.
Chiquet likes to rely on a large portion of Chardonnay for their Spécial Club, their prestige cuvée. However, Chiquet's Chardonnay is from the Marne where Chardonnay is not widely planted and the richer clay soils produce rounder, more exotically tinged Chardonnay than the Côte des Blancs where the grape reigns supreme.
The leaner 2004 vintage and Chiquet's practice of using only steel tanks takes the richness of Marne Chardonnay and disciplines it into something absolutely fascinating - something herbal with evocative layers of subtle fruit and minerals.
Chiquet's Spécial Club is impressive. It's good now, but the track record of their wines for aging suggests that it will be even more profound in five years.
Our parcel is fairly modest. This is only going to people who have supported our Champagne program. Please give us your maximum order, and we'll do our best to allocate fairly.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits