It remains one of the best values in artisan Champagne. ANTONIO GALLONI

It remains one of the best values in artisan Champagne. ANTONIO GALLONI

...this is one of the most consistently excellent NV wines on the market SIMON FIELD MW, Decanter

Blended from the Grand Cru villages of Le Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Avize and Cramant, the Cuvee Reserve is one of the finest nonvintage champagnes on the market PETER LIEM

Rodolphe Péters who is responsible for one of the finest producers in the Côte des Blancs. From 18 hectares in prestigious villages, Pierre Péters handcrafts superbly precise, fresh and complex cuvées. STEPHAN REINHARDT, Wine Advocate

Very few Champagnes more eloquently articulate their terroir than those of Pierre Peters. … left me mesmerised by the remarkable capacity of the chardonnay vines to extract the salty minerality of the Cote de Blancs’s finest grand crus and preserve it in the wines for time eternal. This little estate, more than any other, has given me the realisation of another dimension to Champagne, one in which minerality assumes a personality of its own… TYSON STELZER, The Champagne Guide 

The Pierre Péters Champagnes stand out for their crystalline precision, energy and nuance, which makes the reference-points for what Chardonnay is all about in the Côtes des Blancs and Mesnil in particular for the Chétillons. When I want to drink brilliant, pure Blanc des Blancs, I often reach for the wines of this small, family-owned estate. ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous.com
The genial Rodolphe Péters presides over this 19-hectare reference point in Mesnil sur Oger, where Chardonnay shines at its most pure and chalky. Vinification is in stainless steel, yet grapes picked at full maturity and aging on the lees contribute texture and depth, which means that, while racy, these wines are never austere. ...Readers should note that the excellence of the 2019 vintage translates to unusually concentrated, serious entry-level bottlings from Péters in this set of releases, so this is definitely a year to buy across the range. WILLIAM KELLEY

Most of you will know the drill here. Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve is the most sought-after grower bottling we offer in any year. It is gone nearly as soon as it lands so feel free to skip my musings and get your order in. 

For those left, what makes this such a brilliant bottling? Let's start with provenance. Pierre Peter's Cuvee Reserve contains 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from the villages of Le Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Avize and Cramant. Their vineyards here are meticulously managed by hand and yields resemble Burgundy far more than Champagne. This is a labour of love that not only shows respect for the incredible holdings they work with, but also a dedication to draw out every inch of greatness held within. 

Once they have their carefully reared base wine it is then blended with up to 50% reserve wine from their legendary perpetual reserve, which dates to the late 80s. What's more, this reserve includes wine from the legendary Chetillons, the famed lieu-dit in le Mesnil sur Oger and the name of their most sought-after cuvee which sells at a considerably higher price. The quality of wines in this reserve have no business being in a humble NV bottling and yet such is the dedication to making an exceptional cuvee at this level that in it goes. 

What's in the bottle captures the brilliance of the Cote de Blancs as only Rodolphe Peters, and perhaps Pascal Agrapart, can. Chalky minerality, sizzling tension, complexity and refinement, presence and energy and a near perfect distillation of the vineyards from which it comes.  

One more salient point to add here is that the base wine for this release is from the highly regarded 2019 vintage. Considered the finest of the trio of excellent warmer vintages in '18, '19 and '20, it provides a baseline to this cuvee that William Kelley points out is "unusually concentrated, serious.." 

The silver lining to this golden cloud is the pricing. In a world where grower Champagne prices can rival Burgundy, and rightly so in context, this bottle remains one of the greatest values in Champagne period! Think about all that I have laid out above and then look below to see that it still sneaks in under $100. That is truly remarkable.