Vilmart & Cie looks back at a long history of grape growing and winemaking. It was founded as récoltant manipulant house in 1890 by Désiré Vilmart, in the village of Rilly-la-Montagne. Today, Laurent Champs, the fifth generation of the family, oversees the domaine.
The estate is located in the western end of the Grand Montagne and most of the holdings here are in the Premier Cru of Rilly-La-Montagne with a few small blocks in neighboring Villers-Allerand. Laurent farms 10 parcels over 11 hectares, an anomaly as most estates have many small parcels. This allows Laurent to farm with organic methods; his father practiced biodynamic viticulture and Laurent continues in this vein.
Laurent ferments and ages all his wines in oak: large 2200–5500-liter foudre and demi-muid for the NV wines and smaller barrique as well as demi-muid for vintage wines. Malolactic fermentation is always blocked, giving the wines a crisp acidic structure coupled with the richness of the fermentation and aging regimen. Vilmart’s wines are at once ripe and structured, perfectly walking the line between hedonism and austerity, expertly balanced, and always exceptional.
“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. ”
95+ Points Wine Advocate
The 2008 Coeur de Cuvée Premier Cru Brut is a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from 55-years-old vines, whose must comes from the coeur de cuvée, so the very best part of the pressing. This 2008 was disgorged in March 2015 with eight grams per liter. The wine opens with intense and ripe, highly elegant and Chardonnay-driven fruit with intense lemon, hazelnut and chalk flavors. It’s rich and elegant on the palate, very firm and mineral, with great length, complexity and a string of mineral expression. This wine has great, great ageing potential. So beautifully fresh and mineral, so firm, fresh and elegant. Great finesse and complexity, this Champagne is very long and full of tension and finesse.