When I visited Péters three years ago, I wrote, "Even if Peters was just another grower, he'd still be a grower from a town [Le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger] legendary for having no ordinary wines."
You can argue all night long whether the art of making Champagnes allows expression of terroir, but all those arguments go out the window once you sniff a great one, from a single village or cru. I've sunk my nose in enough to know the village, and the vineyard itself, shine through with clarity, same as in Burgundy (albeit with no premox to ruin the tale).
But if there is just one great wine in the world where you should proceed immediately to the palate, Champagne is it. The Chetillons 2008 is a triumph of umami and vibrant fruit, made from a great vintage. There fruit still has a great structure that hasn't budged since I tasted it, at the aforementioned visit. It's ample, broad and deep, and the acidity and mousse support powerful earth and mushroom flavors.
I could finish off a double-magnum alone. (July 25, 2021)
Despite the wine's youth, I decided to spoil ourselves and broach it, since I had another bottle to age. The things you do for love and knowledge. Age notwithstanding, the nose is already amazingly intense and captivating, showing cherries and a complex array of rocks and herbs that, like the best Piedmont has to offer, dance away from precise definition. The palate offers a duality of sorts. The texture is fine and nuanced, but as the wine airs, the tannins become more of a roadblock, even though I manage to drink my way through them, as usual. Barolo and Barbaresco offer a multitude of gifts, yet I always find room and budget for the Produttori Riservas, as well as the normale. (July 27, 2021)
Comments