94 Wine Spectator

“A mouthwatering Champagne that shows seamless integration of the plush and creamy mousse, rapierlike acidity and expressive range of peach, chopped nut, green apple, star anise and honeysuckle aromas and flavors that persist on the long finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.”

91 John Gilman - View from the Cellar

The current release of Vilmart & Cie “Grand Cellier” is from the base year of 2016, with reserve wines added from the previous two vintages. It was disgorged in November of 2019. As is customary for this bottling from Regis Vilmart, the vins clairs for this bottling spend ten months aging in used oak casks prior to blending for secondary fermentation, with the cépages its typical seventy percent chardonnay and thirty percent pinot noir. The finishing dosage for this bottling is eight grams per liter. The wine is still quite youthful, but shows lovely promise in its aromatic blend of apple, a touch of nectarine, freshly-baked bread, a fine base of soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a good core, brisk acids, fine focus and grip, elegant mousse and a long, nascently complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is certainly approachable today, but this will be so much more enjoyable when it has had a bit of bottle age and has had a chance to relax structurally. Fine juice.