GYEJACQUOT CHAMPAGNE ‘COLLECTION’

Champagnes from small family estates often provide excellent quality, character and value. These days, with painful tariffs looming on the horizon, we are especially excited to have discovered Champagne Gyéjacquot’s Brut Collection. While “Gyéjacquot” is a near impossible name to pronounce for Americans, their Brut Collection is a crowd-pleasing gem that is very easy to love while also being easy on the pocketbook. Headquartered in the Aube District hamlet of Celles Sur Ource, (about 25 miles southeast of Troyes) Champagne Gyéjacquot was cofounded by Michael Gyéjacquot with his brother Danile in 1970. Since then, the enterprise has grown considerably and now consists of 20 vineyard plots and the management of the estate has passed to Michael Gyéjacquot’s two sons – Cyril and Frédéric. Their holdings, which sit upon the area’s famed Kimmeridgian soil (a mix of limestone and clay, rich in marine fossils) span seven villages and are planted to four grape varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and a little Pinot Blanc. This diversity in exposition, slope, altitude and grape type provides the brothers with a plethora of blending options. The Gyéjacquots view themselves as stewards of their land and their diligence and savoir faire has earned them a HVE (High Environmental Value) Level 3 Certification.
Gyéjacquot Brut Collection is a luxurious blend of estate grapes supplemented with a small amount of select fruit acquired from neighboring growers. All the grape varieties are individually vinified parcel-by-parcel at low temperature (between 14-16 degrees Centigrade) in order to showcase their aromatic purity and finesse. The cuvée consists of Pinot Noir (80%) rounded out with (10%) Chardonnay and (10%) Pinot Blanc. It was enriched with a judicious dollop of reserve wine before bottling and then then lees-aged for nearly two years and finished with an appealing dosage of 8 grams per liter. In the glass one is immediately greeted with Rainier Cherry and white fruit aromas. Deftly balanced on the palate, this Brut Collection offers a perfect union of the strength of Pinot Noir, the finesse and structure of Chardonnay and the richness of Pinot Blanc. It’s creamy, rich and nuanced; or, as Todd Johnston, our Knighted Champagne Buyer, would say “It’s a Goldilocks Champagne” that makes a worthy “Steal of the Year” candidate as well as a savvy House Champagne choice.