2014 Vilmart & Cie Brut Coeur de Cuvee
Vilmart & Cie Brut Coeur de Cuvee is another impressive, elegant Champagne that I got excited about all over again after a recent tasting. Impressive is an understatement!
For a few emails now, and a few more to come, we focus on the “grower revolution,” a term that can be confusing. While Vilmart is absolutely a grower, it’d be hard to include them in the revolutionary category since they’ve labeled their own wine since the late 1800’s. They are actually quite established.
What does put them squarely in the grower category are a couple factors. First, they are not classified as a “Negociant Manipulant” or NM; two tiny symbols you will find on a bottle that indicates if they are allowed to purchase grapes from other growers.
But even this is a slightly confusing distinction. Don’t be fooled though, larger houses aren’t the only producers doing this. Small houses can do this too, and it doesn’t automatically strip you of grower status if you are a NM. Any clearer, haha?
Attention to crafting artisanal, terrior-driven Champagnes is the pinnacle characteristic of a grower. At only 11 hectares, Vilmart & Cie does this in spades, with their long established status and unwavering commitment to tradition and heritage. This is something you can certainly taste in their cuvees.
A wine of refined elegance, it is everything I look for in a great bottle of Champagne. The nose is lively with subtle hints of peach and lemon zest and a freshness and lift one craves. You can’t help but admire the beautiful golden color in the glass and the very refined bubbles let you know you are drinking something special. Vilmart blocks the malolactic with this cuvee which really gives the palate tension and energy. This “Coeur de Cuvee” (80% Chardonnay 20% Pinot Noir) is made from the very very first pressing of the juice. They take the first 1400 liters instead of what is typical of 2050 liters to create this masterpiece of a wine.
Anyone serious about grower Champagne will want this in their cellar.
