2002 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons Oenotheque

The 2002 Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Les Chétillons Oenothèque—which was disgorged in December 2015—is showing very well, and it's a very fine Champagne. But given how irresistible the original release of this vintage's Les Chétillons was, it doesn't deliver quite as much excitement as one might expect. Offering up aromas of almond paste, dried citrus rind, white flowers, amaretti biscuits and clear honey, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with good concentration and lively acids, but there are plenty of renditions of Les Chétillons in this decade that make more of an impression.

The 2002 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons Oenothèque is drop-dead gorgeous. Lush and exotic, the 2002 Oenothèque offers up a compelling mélange of apricot jam, honey and wild yellow flowers, all with tropical inflections that give the wine its bold, exotic personality. The Oenothèque is dense, powerful and concentrated. In this tasting, it actually comes across as a bit more forward than the Oenothèque, probably because of the aging on the cork. Often, late-disgorged Champagnes that have been aged on cork retreat into a more reductive phase a few years after disgorgement. It will be interesting to see if that happens here. Disgorged December 2015.

This year, Pierre Péters will release a small amount of the 2002 Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons Oenothèque. Just beginning to blossom, the 2002 comes across as surprisingly youthful. Dosage is 5.5 grams per liter, higher than the original release, which appears to have tightened the wine. That is probably a good thing for the long term. Readers lucky enough to find a few bottles of the 2002 should probably not plan on opening them for at least another year or two. Disgorged December 2015.