Description
Champagne Vilmart & Cie, Premier Cru “Coeur De Cuvée”
Just mentioning Vilmart et Cie will evoke some of the most fervent and reverential praise from the world’s top wine luminaries: Antonio Galloni considers them masters of finesse, Peter Liem counts them as “one of the finest producers in the region,” and Robert Parker has nominated their top label as “among the most complex, powerful, and structured wines in Champagne.” That “top label” in question is “Coeur de Cuvée,” an old-vine, single-parcel vintage bottling that spends 10 months in French oak and 65+ months sur latte before release. You’ll find this rarefied prestige cuvée stuffed in the cellars of savvy collectors, highlighting the finest three-starred Michelin restaurants like The French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park, and, we’re fortunate to get a small allocation for our faithful.
“Coeur de Cuvée” is an 80/20 Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend from their famed “Les Blanches Voies Hautes” parcel in the Premier Cru village of Rilly-la-Montagne. Only vines over 56 years of age were used. In the cellar, grapes were pressed separately into 228-liter Burgundy barrels where an élevage (without malo) occurred over a 10-month period. A rarity in the region, long barrel aging is one of the identifying characteristics of Vilmart’s Champagnes—this lends the finished wines an added dimension that invites comparisons to Krug.
The piano-wire tension, luxurious depth, and hyper-focused minerality in this 2013 “Coeur de Cuvée” deliver an endless sensory experience. It’s simultaneously elegant and vinous, a breathtaking Champagne that could only be crafted by Vilmart. It unfurls with nervous energy at first, effusing tightly coiled notes of apple skin, white pear, nectarine, lime leaf, dried pineapple, crushed hazelnut, wet stone, chalk, vanilla bean, and lightly toasted brioche. But given the right glass, temperature, and plenty of air, it comes alive in fantastic detail. The palate is gorgeously textured, bristling with tense minerals and citrus that seemingly expand and enliven the senses with each sip. It’s simply outstanding, one of the genuine standouts of prestige Champagne. This certainly will cellar well into the 2030 and beyond.
