The 2012 Blanc de Blancs Les Chétillons is fabulous. Rich and explosive in the glass, the 2012 has all of the intensity of a ripe year, but without the more tropical leanings of vintages like 2002. What comes through most is the raw intensity of a year in which yields were reduced sharply by frost. The 2012 Chétillons is going to need at least a few years to come into its own, but it is brilliant even in the early going. Hints of lemon confit, white flowers mint and chalk develop with air, but it is the interplay of 2012 richness and Le Mesnil tension that makes for an utterly compelling, vivid Champagne of the highest level. This is a hugely promising wine. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: November, 2018.

Wafting from the glass with aromas of lemon oil, confit citrus, pastry cream and warm bread, the 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons is full-bodied, muscular and concentrated, with a tight-knit core, racy acids and a long, searingly chalky finish. The wine's depth and structure are typical of the vintage and make for a very serious Les Chétillons that will reward extended bottle age.