Champagne Pierre Peters, Cuvée de Réserve, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Brut
Description
The Cuvée de Réserve goes from strength to strength and is now one of the most sought-after of our non-vintage Champagnes, no mean achievement for a Grower Champagne and indicative, perhaps, of the long overdue re-appraisal of the hierarchy in this region, where the hegemony of the Grandes Marques has held sway for so long.
This perhaps explains the inherent complexity on the palate, with its notes of hazelnut, acacia and apricot garlanding the more usual descriptors of citron pressé, sweet spice and crushed rock. The dosage is seven grams per litre and the finish is powerful, with a twist of salinity to confirm the fact that the majority of the fruit is sourced from the great village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the balancing 30% coming from equally prestigious Grand Cru sites in Oger, Chouilly and Cramant.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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Colour
White -
Sweetness
Dry -
Alcohol
12% -
Grape
Chardonnay -
Body
Full Bodied -
Producer
Champagne Pierre Péters
Critics reviews
Dosage is 5.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 4, 2023.
The NV Brut Cuvée de Réserve Grand Cru base 2021) is a fine introduction to this range. Soft, open-knit and creamy, the Cuvée de Réserve is wonderfully engaging right out of the gate. Lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile, baked apple tart and spice are front and centre. All the elements are so well put together. This is an exquisite Champagne from Rodolphe Péters.
Drink 2024 - 2030
This is Rodolphe Péters’ main wine made from a blend of 2017 Chardonnays from top villages in the Côte des Blancs but mainly in the home village of Le Mesnil. The wine remained in tank on lees with regular tastings) until the assemblage, when 50% reserve wines were added to the blend. The reserve wines come from Rodolphe’s ‘perpetual reserve’ which is based on the 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1996 harvests. These reserve wines are stored in a combination of large foudres, concrete, stainless steel and cement vats. The wine was kept on the lees for a minimum of two years before disgorgement in September 2020 when it received a dosage of 6–7 g/l.
A more friendly, approachable wine than the Extra Brut – and more tight knit. Very fine bead and great, sappy balance between the delicate fruit and something more substantial – presumably the reserve wines. I don't really see why this is less expensive than the Extra Brut. Really quite fine and rewarding with this more mature undertow beneath the particularly zesty initial impression.
Drink 2021 - 2025
The NV Champagne Cuvée de Reserve Brut is vibrant with soft lime candy, wet rock, and candied green apple. There is consistency to the palate, with more candied lime, green apple, and a delicate salinity, with the dosage rounding things out nicely. This is a fantastic aperitif with an energetic mousse that is versatile and fresh to drink now or over the coming 10 years.
Drink 2022 - 2032
The reserve wines bring a delicious, savoury sense of sourdough richness to fresh clementine, lemon and pale stone fruit, the tension of classic chalky villages still present but rounded out into a wine of impressive persistence. A benchmark NV Blanc de Blancs. 100% Chardonnay from grand cru villages in the Côte des Blancs.
Drink 2023 - 2028
Based on the 2019 vintage which Péters declares "the best of the decade") and disgorged this year, the NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvée de Réserve bursts with aromas of crisp stone fruit, orange zest, freshly baked bread and beeswax. Medium-bodied, ample and pillowy, with a fleshy core of fruit, racy acids and a saline finish, it's animated by an attractive pinpoint mousse.
Drink 2022 - 2032