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94 WA.
"Warm, toasty aromatics emerge from the 2004 Brut Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or. This is a seriously young wine that will require quite a bit of patience, but it already shows fabulous depth and a sublime, enveloping finish. The 2004 Grand Cellier d'Or is 80% Chardonnay from Les Blanches Voies and 20% Pinot Noir from Les Blanches Voies and Basses Greves, bottled with 9 grams of dosage. This is a fabulous wine from Vilmart . . . . Proprietor Laurent Champs makes some of the most elegant, refined Champagnes readers are likely to come across. Every wine I tasted during my visit earlier this year was fabulous. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste any of the house’s roses for this article, but they are among my favorite wines of the entire region. Vilmart’s roses are made in small quantities and disappear virtually as soon as they hit these shores, so readers should be on the lookout for any opportunity to snap them up. All of the Champagnes are aged in oak, which plays an important part in the Vilmart signature, yet few growers are as skilled in finding the perfect balance of fruit, structure and oak. In short, I can’t say enough good things about Vilmart. Readers owe it to themselves to check out these brilliant wines." Wine Advocate #192, Dec 2010 |