Champagne Gardet Réserve Brut Premier Cru NV

Maison Gardet was founded in 1895 when Charles Gardet, an enterprising wine merchant, established the house in Épernay. In the 1930s, his son Georges moved it to the charming Premier Cru village of Chigny-les-Roses, where it remains today. The estate is now owned by the Prieux family, with Christophe Prieux at the helm of both Gardet and the neighboring house of Ployez-Jacquemart. Before turning his attention fully to Champagne, Christophe built the family's fortune in the garden-center business – a rather unglamorous empire he traded for the far more romantic pursuit of world-class fizz.

The family had deep roots as growers in the region, and under the Prieux era, the quality here has climbed tremendously. This just might be the best Champagne producer you've scarcely heard of. In fact, we liked Christophe's personal motto so much we borrowed it for ourselves:

"You don't need an occasion to drink Champagne; you simply have to know how to create them."

Cheers to that – all the better with this beauty fizzing away in your glass. A rich, beguiling blend of one-third each Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, it saunters from the glass with aromas of a Parisian bakery – warm brioche and fresh pastries – followed by golden apricot, crème caramel, and Calimyrna fig. A delicate honeysuckle note runs throughout, with baking spice punctuating a long and devilishly creamy finish.

The fruit comes from Premier and Grand Cru sites across the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, with about 25% of the final blend drawn from the house's perpetual reserves – built solera-style, with a portion of each year's wine folded into blends going back over a decade. It sits for 84 months on the lees – an unbelievable span of time for this price. That's seven full years of aging, and it's exactly where all that brioche richness and creamy texture come from. A final dosage of just 6 g/L – made from a liqueur of this same wine and locally grown beet sugar – leaves it technically Brut, but only a single gram from Extra Brut. Dry, yet full and ripe, with a persistent freshness that keeps you on your toes.

We'd happily get lost in Gardet's miles of underground cellars with nothing but this to drink until the end of our days. Until then, a glass or two will more than do. Only $55, with free shipping on 3 or more. Easy math, really!