'Coeur de Cuvée' Brut

Score

95

"Also 80% Chardonnay, the 2016 Champagne 1er Cru Coeur De Cuvée Brut is a bright yellow color and is a bit more shy at this stage on the nose compared to the Grand Cellier D'Or, with notes of lemon candies, green apples, baking spices, and delicate fresh baked brioche. Driving, with more linear persistence in its acidity, it's citrus-driven on the palate, with a zesty, spritely mousse and a clean, chalky finish with just a hint of bitter citrus. This one feels as though it needs more time at this stage to open up and come around, but it has a lot of potential. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years."

Score

95

"The 2016 Brut Coeur de Cuvée is just as impressive as it was last year. It offers a captivating marriage of textural depth and energy, classic Vilmart signatures. Candied citrus, slate, chalk, mint, sage and white pepper confer notable vibrancy throughout. Readers will find a Champagne endowed with considerable dimension and presence. The long finish reverberates effortlessly. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: September 2022."

Score

95+

"With crystalline purity and more tension than any other wine in this year's lineup, Vilmart's 2016 Coeur de Cuvée has put up a stellar performance. Disgorged in September 2022 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, it hails from 60-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Blanches Voies—the same five-hectare vineyard that provides their Blanc de Blancs. Matured in 228-liter barrels, mostly from Damy, it wafts from the glass with a deep bouquet of lemon zest, white flowers and green apple. Taut and incisive, with impressive mid-palate amplitude, racy acidity and ample chalky structuring extract, it culminates with a long, saline finish. This is an elegant Champagne that will captivate purists, offering greater precision and nuance than the 2017 vintage of this cuvée. As ever, it's crafted from the least fruit-forward, most acid-driven press fraction—just 68%—representing the heart of the cuvée."

Score

95

"Notes of honeysuckle and lime blossoms, blood orange peel, anise and cardamom are a fragrant overtone heralding this fresh Champagne, which shows good tension and drive. The refined, chalky mousse is lacy in texture, buoying finely meshed flavors of ripe apricot and quince paste, raw almond, vanilla wafer and candied ginger. Ends with a long, mouthwatering finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged September 2022. Drink now through 2036. ‡A.N."