2009 Pierre Péters Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Speciale Les Chetillons Grand Cru

The 2009 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons is showing very well, though it has hardly budged since release and continues to offer up a youthful bouquet of citrus oil, honeycomb, freshly baked bread, oyster shell, warm biscuits and nougat. On the palate, it's full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with a deep and layered core structured around abundant dry extract, concluding with a chalky finish. In a vintage that can be a little facile, this is a very serious, soil-driven Chétillons that has all the makings of a long-lived Champagne.

The flagship 2009 Brut Les Chétillons looks like it will reward readers with a long and broad drinking window of pure pleasure. The warmth of the vintage has given the 2009 Chétillons a bit more mid-palate richness and sweetness than is typical, yet there is plenty of Mesnil drive and precision in the glass. Dense, powerful and explosive, the 2009 hits all the right notes. Best of all, it won't need years in bottle to come together. Dosage is 4.7 grams/liter. Disgorged: February 2015.

The 2009 Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons is remarkably polished and balanced throughout, with plenty of vintage 2009 radiance. Apricot pit, smoke, peach and spice overtones take shape in a striking Champagne. Although quite open and expressive today, the 2009 is also holding back a considerable amount of pure, unbridled power as well as potential. Ripe and racy to the core, yet with no excess weight, the 2009 stands out for its exceptional balance. Dosage was 4.7 grams per liter, a bit higher than normal. Péters told me he thought the drier vintage needed a little bit more sugar. Disgorged December 1, 2014.