Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons Cuvee Speciale 2002 1.5Ltr

The 2002 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons, the original release and aged on crown seal, is tremendous. Wow. Ample, sweeping and dramatic, the 2002 is utterly captivating. Smoke, graphite, ash, apricot jam and pastry are some of the many nuances that come alive in the glass, with a top note of reduction that is very appealing. On this day, the regular release is just a touch ahead of the Oenothèque. It's hard to say exactly why that is, but I suspect that the post-disgorgement time is optimal. This is the finest bottle of the 2002 I have ever tasted. Disgorged July 2010.

Significantly harder-edged and more overtly alkaline and chalky than its successors tasted alongside, the Peters 2002 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Speciale Les Chetillons (from a bottle disgorged early in 2010) exhibits an herbal extract-tinged pear and melon fruit fundament reminiscent of the corresponding 2004. (Peters goes so far as to mention Chartreuse.) Hints of coffee ground lend a lightly roasted character, while pear pip and orange rind piquancy lend further counterpoint to the fruit, and a somewhat more meaty than crustacean savor serves for salivary stimulation. The dynamic on exhibit here is very slightly disjointed when compared with that displayed by the corresponding 2004, yet rivetingly energetic and persistent. I wonder whether this 2002 - impressive though it is - might not be passing through a difficult period from which it will emerge. I suggest planning tentatively on following some for another several years.