Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale ‘Les Chetillons’ 2002 (750ml)

Blanc de Blancs from one of the most privileged vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger

One year and a half ago, this wine is racy, dense & taut, with vivid arrays of aromas: wild yellow roses, racy citrus fruit, flinty & iodine-like minerality. Awesome!

Now the bouquet quiets down a bit, feeling discreet and delicate. Sleek, waxy aroma of guava leads the way, followed by a touch of iodine.

The taste is like a bowl of ripe, luscious, exotic fruits (mandarine orange, sweet lemon & guava), feeling supple and already acquiring some maturing mellowness. Yet the acidity is still steely indeed. 

Would be interesting to follow its future evolution.

Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2004 (750ml)

(Disgorged in Feb, 2013. Dosage @ 4.9g/l, so Extra Brut)

As can be expected of this vintage, this is not a mightily concentrated version of Clos des Goisses. Instead, 2004 is more for elegance & finesse.

Sleek and refined, yet still possessing Clos des Goisses’ pronounced vinosity, a testmony of this privileged site’s exceptional ripening capacity.

But this bottle seems a bit too mellow & soft for its age (the previous bottle  Johnny tasted at Philipponnat cellar door in last May was super racy). Anyway, this is very enjoyable now.

Moet ‘Cuvee Dom Perignon’ 1973 (750ml)

Thanks to Luc’s birthday!

Disgorgement date unknown. 

Label in mint condition. So is the stuff inside the bottle!

Pristine robe of lemon yellow. It looks admirably young!

Densely packed bouquet of lemon, toffee, smoke, peat and gamy undertones. Amazingly slow evolution for its age.

Saline minerality is unlashed on the palate, even dominating over still intense and slow-evolved fruit. This one still has good a grip.

A memorable bottle!

Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Juste Rose 1999 (750ml)

The inaugural vintage!

CDG Juste Rose is Charles Philipponnat’s babby. (He came back to the family firm in 1999. What if he has had the chance to come back 3 years earlier? and we could have vintage 96 to commence CDG Juste Rose...)

CDG Juste Rose is pale in color. But for this bottle of 99, now pink color is not just pale, but virtually all faded away. Golden robe, with barely perceptible orange hue. Visually, none can tell this is a rose.

OK. My complaint stops here.