Robert Moncuit 'Les Chetillons' Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Champagne, France 2016

“Les Chétillons” Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2016 is a beautifully mature expression of Le Mesnil‑sur‑Oger Chardonnay. The 2016 vintage brings depth and finesse, with notes of lemon curd, baked apple, white flowers, and toasted brioche layered over a core of crushed chalk and saline minerality. The palate is taut yet expansive, with fine mousse, low dosage, and a long, precise finish. Elegant, complex, and firmly terroir‑driven, this is classic Mesnil Champagne drinking at a very high level right now, with plenty of life ahead.

"The 2016 Extra Brut Blanc de Blanc Les Chétillons Grand Cru picked in the eponymous site in Oger, spent 60 months on lees after the base wines fermented spontaneously in oak. Despite being labeled extra brut, it has zero dosage. The nose opens with wonderfully enticing smoky reduction that blends into creamy dried corn husk. The palate offers salty, buttery shortcrust pastry, smooth and melting yet somehow taut, bright and fresh. The oaky creaminess shines through but does not detract from the serene, elongating lemon brightness, all supported by the finest mousse. A gorgeous, smooth and stunning Blanc de Blancs. Zero dosage. Disgorged: February 2023." Vinous 96