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NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grande Réserve - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (5/3/2021)
My oldest Vilmart GR…70% Pinot, 30% Chard, DG 9/2014 I believe 2011/12 vintages…the age has done wonders here, as this wine is SO elegant and in total max enjoyment mode! Gorgeously pure apple/cherry/candied pear fruits…creamed up nicely with a little almond liqueur mousse and cherry cordial candies…crisp and tart with super bright lemon, ginger, cherry skin…fine tiny popping bubble dance on the palate…leesy mousse calms…showing wonderful harmony and grace…plenty salty crushed geology tames the sweetness…the little bit of age on this has propelled this wine into levels WAY above its price point. Lesson learned…age these suckers out a few years! Great wine! (94 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
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Great note that answers a question I had a short while ago: yes, I am missing out by not cellaring my “weekly champers” for longer periods (Help with Champagne cellaring and new ones to discover (pretty long post...) - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers).
Thanks!
Buzz,
I agree with regards to Vilmart GR, but also to so many other NV/MV Champagnes as well. I need to do a better job of hiding more from myself. I honestly can’t recall drinking any of my NV Champagnes and thinking “I should have drunk this earlier”. Years ago, I found a Grand Marques wine (I believe it was a Mumms) my dad had lost in his wine cooler for a decade or more (he filled it with inexpensive wine when he bought it, then my brothers and I would refill it occasionally when we visited; not a lot of turnover in that cooler). It was mature but still good, better than it was on release.
Nowadays, I’m quite selective of my purchases, and I suspect most if not all of the NV’s I buy can go a decade (or more) if I let them. I seem to really like them at 6-10 years, but admittedly, I like aged champagne a lot more than other people I know.
Cheers,
Warren
No doubt, Vilmart produces some seriously structured wines that really benefit from cellaring, even at this “lowly” level.
I think it might benefit more from aging because of the higher dosage.
