Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons Cuvee Speciale 2017 750ml Case of 6

The 2017 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons shows why this is such a great site and also illustrates the difference between chalk here and clay in Les Montjolys. Bright saline notes cut through a core of citrus peel, slate, chalk, mint and white pepper. This is classic Chétillons from start to finish. All of the Chétillons signatures are present, perhaps slightly attenuated in this vintage, but not by much. The long, sustained finish is another hallmark of this first-rate site in Mesnil. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: July 2024.

Derived from three old-vine parcels within the same lieu-dit, the 2017 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons, disgorged in July 2024 with four grams per liter dosage, is structurally open today, but Rodolphe predicts it will tighten up with more time post disgorgement, as I’m sure it will. Opening in the glass to reveal notes of fresh almond, iodine, clams and citrus fruit, it is flamboyant and charming. Less youthfully austere and more demonstrative than the 2016 vintage rendition, it is Les Chétillons with a more powerful musculature, balanced by a bright spine of acidity and concluding with a long, saline finish. More mineral-laced than the Les Montjolys of the same year, one will want to consider laying down the bottles as they refine with age. It’s the first release where Péters decided to extend aging sur lattes for six more months (from six years to six and a half years), followed by a year post-disgorgement, a decision based on tasting.