Perhaps the I’m the one who can’t hear the music, and think y’all are insane. But I just don’t get this one.
2014 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons
Medium yellow/straw. Vibrant bubbles.
Nose is fresh, still young with just a touch of developing notes. Citrus, ginger, some white peach, initially some creamy notes and yogurt, white flowers, some green herbs.
Palate is structured, very dry, almost austere, serious, mineral driven, slightly chalky, with tart lemon zest.
The wine is OK, lacks complexity, persistent finish but not much to it.
I see no greatness in this Champagne.
This might be a pinnacle of tartness for Champagne. I don’t know about the 2021 vintage, but this producer had no problems with any warm conditions. This BdN is the entry level bottling at ~$60. Remarkable color give that this is not bottled as a rosé. Agressive mousse on openning continued as fine mousse throughout. Really nice red fruits on the nose and palate, but the acidity level made this a sip and pause Champagne rather than a drinking one. Think strawberry rhubarb pie, but without any sugar added. As we were quietly working through the bottle, my wife says “God, this is good. I’m so glad I like this style of Champagne.” I got this from Caveau in Portland who carry the producer’s full lineup. I’d like to check out some other ones. It looks like they do a few things with Pinot Blanc.
NV Wirth-Michel Champagne Les Rigoblins Extra Brut - France, Champagne (3/1/2025)
50% Chard, 33% PM, 17% PN Meunier coplanted on single parcel Rigoblins in Vinay. From 2019 vintage, disg march 2023. 3g/L dosage. Lots of info on back label. Light yellow color. Medium abundant mousse. Yellow apple and oak on the nose; couldn't detect any brioche or yeasty notes. On the palate, the yellow apple continues, though it has some brown notes, pineapple, broiled lemon and oak. Nice acidity. I would probably suggest holding off it's your cellars since the oak could be better integrated.
Purchased for $40, so I was satisfied with the price to quality ratio.
Not a champagne evidently, but a Mexican sparkling. This was a dead ringer for good cava, which isn’t too much of a surprise given the grape composition. No formal notes. It was fairly priced and I’m looking forward to trying more Mexican sparklings.
I’ve had some good Chetillons and Montjoly but it’s really pricey for what it delivers, and the lower end of the offerings are usually quite meh in my opinion. Would rather have a Bereche Brut Reserve than just about anything Peters below Chetillon/Montjoly
2014 Bollinger GA slammed, showing bright citrus paired with nice apple tart, leesy notes, a hint of ginger and spice, first signs of a hint of nutiness. Showing its oxidative style a bit more than prior bottles, but all in balance and absolutely delicious. Loved it.
edit - after posting I looked at some of my earlier notes and I called some walnuts back in 2022 and noted the oxidative style so perhaps it’s on a nice consistent curve. Common theme across all notes is combo of citrus, bright apple, pastry, lees, ginger spice. It’s a lovely wine that has come around nicely over the last 2.5 years or so. Squarely in that 94+ range for me.
2019 Famille Moussé Champagne l’Anecdote Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature
Only 3% of this estate’s vines are planted to Chardonnay which makes this 100% Chardonnay wine an outlier for this Pinot Meunier dominated estate. The fruit is sourced from Cuisles and Jonquery. Zero dosage. First had this at a trade tasting last year and Cedric Mousse thought it was the best Chardonnay he has ever made and mentioned that he set aside 2 cases in his personal cellar to drink. Disgorged January 2023. Only 40 cases imported. 2nd time I have had this wine. Really lovely and in a good spot if you like young and vibrant Champagne. Clear white color. Delicate mousse with a clean and pure profile. Plenty of white fruit and lemongrass notes. Solid acidity with a bright finish. 96 points.
NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Les Crayères
Opened by a friend. 100% Pinot Noir disgorged in May, 2016. This spent 70 months on it’s lees. Medium yellow color with a lower bead. Nicely aged Champagne showing good depth. Creamy texture with apricot, chalk and brioche notes. 93 points.
Jeff, thank you for the note on the Mousse. I hadn’t realized that Cedric had taken the dosage on the Chard to zero. Last time I had it the wine was at 1.5, and previous to that as high as 5. I know he is pretty meticulous (from what I recall) about his farming and he must think now that the wine can display to his liking without adding any. One other comparator is his Les Vignes de Mon Village, which is no dose and has been for some time–this is my favorite of his range but cool to see Anecdote now being made this way.
Hey, BTW, what does “VM” mean at the end of your posts?
I dunno. What I do perceive about Cedric is that he is strategic and not afraid to push into the unknown. So, it may be something he might see as the direction he is heading now given the change in weather and how it is affecting the maturity of the stuff he is growing.
I got this from Caveau in Portland who carry the producer’s full lineup. I’d like to check out some other ones. It looks like they do a few things with Pinot Blanc.
