Blend: 70% Chardonnay & 30% Pinot Noir
"Vilmart & Cie. is not only one of the greatest grower-estates in Champagne, but one of the finest Champagne producers of any type in the region." -Peter Liem, Champagneguide.net
94 Points Wine Spectator
A sculpted Champagne, rich but still elegant, with well-honed acidity and a panoply of flavors set on the raw silklike mousse. Delivers grilled macadamia nut and biscuit, white cherry and nectarine fruit, crystallized honey, lime blossom, star anise and smoke accents. Long, salty finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged January 2023. Drink now through 2033.
93 Points Decanter Magazine
Beautifully refined and delicate with clementine and pale strawberry enlivened by a touch of flintiness and creaminess and delivered with a delicate mousse. The Chardonnay lifts and elongates with fine zesty energy. Detailed, poised and classy, this is superb value. 10 months predominantly in large oak foudres.
92 Points Vinous
The NV Brut Grand Cellier is bright, effusive and wonderfully charming. White flowers, chalk, mint and lemon confit give this mid-weight, nervy Champagne tons of energy. All the elements are so nicely put together. I especially like the energy and crystalline purity here. There are a lot of terrific wines in this range, but the Grand Cellier is quintessentially Vilmart. This release is based on 2019, with the addition of reserve wines from 2018. Dosage is 7 grams per liter.
"All of the wines are fermented in oak, although you would hardly know that tasting the wines." - Antonio Galloni
Winemaker Notes
Vilmart is on the Burgundian end of the Champagne spectrum. Older examples of his top wines come to taste a lot like a mature Chevalier-Montrachet with fermentation and aging in barrels. But unlike a true C-M Vilmart blocks the malos, retaining great mineral tension. Aside from their rosé, the wines are dominated by Chardonnay—and not the pencil-lead Chardonnay of the Côte des Blancs, but the more generous Chard that you get on the Montagne de Reims where the black grapes tend to be more dominant.
Coming from the northern region of Champagne called Montagne de Reims, this Premier Cru Brut NV Cuvée offers tiny bubbles and deep notes of citrus fruit and toast with a long, satisfying finish on the palate. It is a delicious Champagne that drinks far more expensive than its respective price. Proprietor Laurent Champs can be counted on for wines of extraordinary class and elegance. 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. They are differentiated by the high percentage of Chardonnay in their vineyards.
