The NV Brut Premier Cru Grand Cellier is a great introduction to the house style. A warm, open bouquet leads to a core of generous fruit as the Grand Cellier opens up in the glass. Smoke, mint and flowers are some of the nuances that emerge over time, adding further shades of complexity. This is a superb NV bottling and is not to be missed. The Grand Cellier is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, 50% 2007, 25% 2006 and 25% 2005, bottled with 10 grams of dosage. This is Lot L0609, disgorged June, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015.

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. (Antonio Galloni)

– The Wine Advocate#192, December 2010

For a reliable non-vintage Champagne that offers the versatility of being enjoyed now or cellared for later, Vilmart & Cie’s NV Grand Cellier cuvée is a standout choice. Based on the 2021 vintage and enriched with 50% reserve wines from 2020 and 2019, it was matured in large casks, predominantly from Tonnellerie Rousseau. Stylistically distinct from the Grande Réserve, this cuvée reverses the blend, featuring 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. The latest release combines the bright, focused character of the cool, late-ripening 2021 vintage with the concentration of the two preceding years. Bursting with aromas of lemon zest, white flowers and crisp pear, it leads into a medium to full-bodied, taut palate with excellent tension and lively acidity, complemented by a fine, pinpoint mousse and concluding with a long and mineral finish. Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, it is a balanced and vibrant Champagne.

Vinified and matured in foudres, the NV Brut Cuvee Grand Cellier unfurls with aromas of spices, white flowers, lemon oil and pear, followed by a medium to full-bodied, tense and seamless palate built around a fleshy, vinous core of fruit enhanced by an ethereal and saline finish. Based on the 2021 vintage complemented with the 2020 and 2019 vintages, this blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir was disgorged with a dosage of seven grams per liter.

The NV Brut Premier Cru Cuvee Grand Cellier is a great starting place for readers who want to explore the Vilmart wines. An impeccably balanced, harmonious Champagne, the Grand Cellier has all of the qualities that make the Vilmart Champagnes so appealing. Sweet floral notes meld into expressive bright green orchard fruit, all supported by a faint vein of oak. Subtle hints of spice and white flowers add lift on the vibrant finish. The Grand Cellier is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, based on the 2009 vintage, with 2008 and 2007 reserve wines. Disgorgement date: November 2011. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Laurent Champs crafts impeccable, elegant Champagnes of the highest level. The Vilmart Champagnes are so delicious when they are released I doubt too many are purchased for cellaring, but the reality is that the wines also age exceptionally well. A Terry Theise Selection, imported by Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Disgorged in September 2018 with eight grams per liter dosage, the latest rendition of Vilmart's Chardonnay-dominant NV Brut Premier Cru Grand Cellier is showing well, offering up an inviting bouquet of crisp golden orchard fruit and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy but incisive, its generous core of fruit is complemented by a pinpoint mousse and girdled with racy acids. The vins clairs aged in foudres, as ever without malolactic fermentation. This is based on the 2016 harvest with reserve wines from the 2015 and 2014 vintages.

Blending 70% Chardonnay with 30% Pinot Noir and the vintages 2012, 2013 and 2014, the NV Premier Cru Grand Cellier displays a deep, clear and intense bouquet with ripe citrus and grapefruit notes. Full-bodied, fresh and very elegant, with just a hint of tannins from newer oak vats (the wines were vinified in oak for ten months), this is a well-structured, beautifully dry and terribly fresh cuvée with lingering citrus flavors on the impressive finish. This is still very young, though, and with remarkable acidity (no malolactic fermentation). Tasted April 2018.

Récoltant-manipulant in Rilly la Montagne. 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir from 2011 and 2012. 10 months in 228-litre oak. Very pale and delicate looking. Complex and quite rich. Open and pretty broad. Splits the difference between the big houses and the growers? Hint of half-baked bread (yeast). (JR)