Vilmart & Cie Brut Cuvee Grand Cellier NV (750ML)

95 WS / 93 BH / 93 WS / 92 VM / 91 WA / 91 DE

#8 Wine Spectator Top French Sparkling Wines of 2023

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

A very restrained, even discreet nose of green apple, freshly baked brioche and citrus dissolves into intense, pure and driving flavors that possess a wonderfully broad panoply of flavors that are gorgeously persistent. This is one of those rare Champagnes that can really have powerful flavor authority yet deliver it by dancing across the palate. A stunningly good effort that for all the impact remains understated and focused. - Allen Meadows, Burghound

A blend of 70% pinot noir and 30% chardonnay, this has a complex and sophisticated nose that delivers peach fruits and citrus, plus some bolder yellow plum fruits too. The palate is assertive, energetic and concentrated with peach and nectarine flavors met with lemony acidity. Long, really powerful Champagne here. - James Suckling

The NV Brut Grand Cellier is bright, effusive and wonderfully charming. White flowers, chalk, mint and lemon confit give this mid-weight, nervy Champagne tons of energy. All the elements are so nicely put together. I especially like the energy and crystalline purity here. There are a lot of terrific wines in this range, but the Grand Cellier is quintessentially Vilmart. This release is based on 2019, with the addition of reserve wines from 2018. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2022. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The July 2019 disgorgement of Vilmart's NV Brut Premier Cru Grand Cellier is showing nicely, and it has hardly evolved in the last year. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of crisp Anjou pear, waxy citrus rind, bee pollen, white flowers and blanched almonds, it's medium to full-bodied, taut and incisive, with racy acids, chalky structuring extract and a pretty pinpoint mousse. This is based on the 2016 harvest with reserve wines from the 2015 and 2014 vintages. - WK, Wine Advocate

This blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir is vinified entirely in the larger size oak barrels known as foudres, and it’s typically a blend of three vintages. Rich in texture yet elegantly carried, and it ages with remarkable grace. - Peter Liem, Decanter