2014 Vilmart & Cie “Emotion ” Ros, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE:

This is a blend of Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay (40%) from 60-year-old vines grown in Rilly-la-Montagne 1er Cru with gorgeous limestone soil. No malolactic fermentation takes place, and the wine is aged for 10 months in barrique, 60 months sur latte, and was disgorged in January 2018.

This cuvee is appreciated with refined dishes, such as salmon in strawberry foil or fried langoustines. It can also be served with a fillet of red mullet, or even a rib of lamb marinated with vegetables. Finally, for sushi lovers, this champagne is the perfect match.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Vilmart & Cie looks back at a long history of grape growing and winemaking. It was founded as rcoltant manipulant house in 1890 by Dsir 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.
Like many of the villages in this area, Rilly faces north. This is the same exposition of Verzenay and Mailly Grand Crus, for example. However, the holdings of Vilmart are in a privileged place. Laurent has a large block of vineyards on a south facing hillside on the other side of the village, in the direction of Montbr, which rises to the north. This vineyard is called Blanches Voies, a due south section of 65-year-old ungrafted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines here go into Laurents Coeur de Cuve, his top wine as well as Grand Cellier dOr, his vintage wine and a new single site Blanc de Blancs, called Blanches Voies. Vilmarts other parcels are in the south west facing vineyard of Hautes Grves, another vineyard with both Chardonnay and Pinot planted.
Laurent ferments and ages all his wines in oak: large 22005500-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. Vilmarts 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. Peter Liem