Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvee de Reserve

Night OneThe color is clear light golden straw, and bubbles are tiny tiny tiny. The nose is rich and yeasty, fresh-baked bread and buttered toast, with light delicate citrus (key limes and a hint of pink grapefruit) and lychee. The palate is equally delightful. The mousse is full but delicate. Anybody wondering about the term "mousse" in champagne need but try this to understand how something can be rich and mouth-filling yet light as air at the same time. It also gives a perfect lesson in "brut," proving something can be fruit-filled and floral but bone-dry at the same time. The fruit on the palate read more...is like the fruit on the nose- key lime and a touch of sweet grapefruit. Florals were equally citrusy, orange blossoms from a distance. The toast evolved from attack to midpalate in a fascinating way. Up front it was yeasty and toasty, but as that flavor blended with the fruit, well, the best way to describe it is an incredibly light key lime pie with a Zweiback, not graham cracker, crust. Have you ever had real, genuine, New York cheesecake? One where the crust complements the cake rather than competes with it? Those have crusts made from Zweiback crackers and butter. The overall sense of this wine is sweetness, but it is not sweet. It also had clear minerality, but only as background, not foreground.The finish lasted quite a while, the different tastes all coming together and lingering, all very light but lasting.Night TwoOn night two the yeastiness took even more of the nose. The smell was richer. Have you ever had Cuban toast? It is Cuban bread, sliced, generously buttered, then "toasted" in a sandwich press. It is yeasty, crusty, and redolent with butter. Spread a piece of that very thinly with key lime and lychee jellies, and you're there.The palate was simi    (hide)

November 2008

Rating: 90/100 - As reviewed by Wine & Spirits Magazine on 12/08