Vilmart et Cie, Grand Cellier, Brut, Champagne, France, NV

Overview of the Wine
Vilmart & Cie. traces its history back to 1890, when it was founded by Désiré Vilmart, and from the beginning, Vilmart & Cie. has always been a récoltant-manipulant, making champagne exclusively from estate-owned vines. Since 1989 the estate has been in the hands of Laurent Champs, the fifth generation of the family to take the helm of the house.

The majority of Vilmart's 11 hectares of vines lie in Rilly-la-Montagne, although there are a few plots just over the border in the neighboring village of Villers-Allerand. Vilmart is a member of Ampelos, an organization that promotes organic and sustainable viticulture, and Champs has never used any herbicides or chemical fertilizers since taking over the estate. All of the vineyards are planted with cover crops and plowed, and Champs enjoys an additional advantage in that his parcels are relatively large—only 12 different parcels over 11 hectares—meaning that he is more protected from contamination by chemical treatments in neighboring plots.

Organic and Biodynamic.

Grape / Blend
70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir

Origin
Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Pale yellow with golden and green highlights. This wine develops a fine, elegant and long-tasting mousse. On the first nose, the wine reveals white flower aromas (honeysuckle, lilac) citrus notes as well as fresh butter and cream. After airing, as it is getting warmer, this Champagne exhales another spectrum of aromas. The wine reveals spicy notes of ginger, lemongrass, which were unsuspected until then. The palate is lively with a delicate effervescence. The beautiful quality of the acidity (present throughout the tasting) is especially remarkable. The frank vinosity of the wine (roundness and alcohol) gives an impression of strength and freshness. The wine appears both broad yet tight. These various sensations produce a pure, creamy and silky textured wine. The finish is clean, slightly mineral and long. The last aroma is the grapefruit. The last impression will be remembered as a harmonious, healthy and vibrant wine.

93 Points - Wine Spectator
A classy Champagne, with a lovely, viscous creaminess on the palate, carrying finely detailed flavors of peach skin, spring blossom, steeped raspberry and slivered almond. Long and mouthwatering, with a well-spiced finish.

93 Points - Vinous
The NV Brut Grand Cellier (2015 base) is fabulous. Rich, ample and creamy, the Grand Cellier is so alluring from the very first taste. All the Vilmart signatures – most notably uncommon elegance – come through loud and clear. Baked apple tart, pear, spice and a hint off butter add nuance, but it is the wine’s overall feel that impresses most. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this seductive Champagne from Vilmart.

91 Points - John Gilman
The new release of Vilmart & Cie “Grand Cellier” is from the base year of 2014, with reserve wines added from the previous two vintages. It is made up of a blend of seventy percent chardonnay and thirty percent pinot noir and was disgorged in October of 2017. As the vins clairs for this bottling spend ten months aging in used oak casks prior to blending for secondary fermentation, the wine spent just over two years aging sur latte prior to disgorgement. The wine is drinking very well today, offering up a complex and wide open bouquet of pear, apple, lovely minerality, brioche and a topnote of hazelnut. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and frothy, with a good core, lovely mineral drive, fine focus and grip and a long, youthfully complex finish. This is tasty today, but will be even better with a bit more bottle age.

Product size: 750ml