NV Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Heritage

An extraordinary wine that's bottled exclusively in magnum—a mere 60 of which will be sold—the NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Heritage is a one-off to celebrate the estate's centenary that spent eight years sur lattes. Some 60% of the cuvée derives from vintages 1921, 1947, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2004 and 2006, with the remaining third made by of the 2010 Les Chétillons. Péters told me that even his father had never tasted some of the older vintages that were "remis en cercles" to create the blend. Unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet that mingles notes of ripe citrus, dried white flowers and freshly baked bread with nuances of wheat toast, beeswax and walnut oil, it's full-bodied, multidimensional and strikingly complete, with immense reserves of concentration and chalky dry extract, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. Despite the inclusion of so much venerable reserve wine, it's remarkably youthful and vibrant. While it will be next to impossible to find, any readers who have the opportunity shouldn't hesitate.