When most of the world hears Champagne Pierre Péters, their minds go straight to “Les Chétillons,” a single-vineyard Grand Cru masterwork that has enjoyed a decades-long reign as one of Champagne’s most idolized blanc de blancs. Simply put, when it comes to Chétillons, every enthusiast wants/needs this wine—but one must be hyper-aware to know about “Montjolys.” This is the newest and rarest site-specific release in their “Cuvée Spéciale” lineup, and only two vintages have been secretly ushered into the market.
Tonight’s 2013, however, became instantly famous the moment Antonio Galloni tasted it. On top of rating this bottle two marks shy of perfection, he gave it some thunderous and genre-bending feedback: “As good as the Chétillons is in 2013, the Les Montjolys is even better. In fact, it is the single most impressive Champagne I have ever tasted from Rodolphe Péters.” His case is strong: This Grand Cru parcel lies just south of legendary Chétillons; Rodolphe utilizes the best and purest juice (only 10%) for the blend; and the wine aged well over six years before release. I’d be underselling it if I said this Champagne blew me away. Its length, richness, and nuance absolutely shattered my expectations, and I expect it to evolve into a cult classic over the next quarter-century. Despite receiving perhaps the largest allocation in America, I only have a few cases to share and must therefore limit everyone to three bottles.
Many may be surprised to learn the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger was only elevated to Grand Cru status in 1985, but by then it was a simple formality because most vignerons were already in agreement that this was one of the finest terroirs in all of Champagne. The Péters were among them: They’ve been cultivating and selling their crop here since 1858; were among the very first grower-producers in 1919; and they’ve owned a piece of renowned “Les Chétillons” since 1931. Today, Rodolphe Péters, grandson of Pierre, runs the historic show and has further elevated their brand to “cult” status.
“Montjolys” doesn’t just reside within the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, it’s just a few minutes’ walk south of “Chétillons” and holds denser, deeper chalky clay soils. Rodolphe’s seven distinct parcels here were left on the vine longer than usual in the cooler, wetter 2013 vintage so that he could emerge with wonderful phenolic ripeness and concentration. The handpicked fruit was shuttled to their cellar for a masterclass on precision and nuance: Many parcel-separate fermentations occurred with partial malolactic and when it came time for blending, only the best base wine (less than 10%) was chosen for bottling. Following 6+ years of lees aging in their subterranean chalk cellar, the wines were disgorged and given a dosage of approximately four grams. It has now rested under natural cork for an additional 15 months.
Péters will tell you that his 2013 Montjolys has “less youthful austerity than Les Chétillons,” and that was abundantly clear with my bottle: It’s broad, vinous, and luxuriously textured with an immensely savory finish that carries on for minutes. It pours a resplendent straw-yellow in the glass and effuses powerful, intoxicating aromas of dried pineapple, yellow apple skin, lemon curd, nougat, fresh white flowers, honeysuckle, toast, crushed hazelnut, lees, apricot, crushed shells, chalk, and citrus confit. It is a profound Grand Cru Champagne, and every sip just further confirms Galloni’s bold claim that it’s the best wine Rodolphe has ever bottled. Still, the most thrilling part about this special offer is something we cannot yet experience—its maturity and evolution. Remember, only the ’12 and ’13 have been released so nobody truly knows how these wines will taste in 15-20+ years, but I can say with absolute confidence that its potential is off the charts. I think with proper age, around 2025-2030, it will be discussed as one of the contemporary greats. Enjoy this rare cellar magnet.
