Winemaker Notes
The first vintage of Chetillons produced by Champagne Robert Moncuit was from the 2008 vintage. Les Chetillons, made famous by Champagne Pierre Peters, is a vineyard that has been long admired. It encapsulates the heights that Chardonnay can reach in the Côte des Blancs. Robert Moncuit's Les Chetillons comes from a two hectare parcel planted in 1956 in the village of Mesnil.It is fermented in tonneaux and left in barrel until the April after harvest. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. It is bottled the July after harvest and is aged on cork before being disgorged. The wine is not chaptalized or filtered and is zero dosage.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This pulls you in with aromas of lime and grapefruit peel and a hint of almond blossom, followed by some salted almond and light toffee. Toast, too. It builds on the palate with rich flavors, yet elegance and so much freshness. Tight bubbles. Very long and complex. 100% chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Issuing from five southeast-parcels planted in the 1960s within the same plot of land, Robert Moncuit’s 2016 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Les Chétillons is the most incisive wine in the cellar. Sitting almost directly on chalk (with just 10 centimeters of clay on top), which acts as a sponge and redistributes the water in the event of drought, it is tauter than the enveloping, more generously structured Vozémieux. “Whatever the vintage, it is always the terroir that stands out,” explains Pierre Amillet. Framed by élevage in 350-liter barrels from Burgundy (maturing for 10 months on the lees), it unfurls from the glass to reveal notes of hazelnut, oyster shell, lime zest and smoke. It is a wine with an incisive profile and subtle complexity, laden with electric acids and concluding with a searingly chalky finish. In short, it’s a typical Mesnil when vinified in wood.
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Wine Spectator
This fresh blanc de blancs is lightly toasty, with chopped almond and brioche accents to the flavors of poached quince,preserved lemon and candied ginger. Offers a lacy mousse and a chalky underpinning. Crisp finish.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’