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Coeur de Cuvee 2013 magnums from Vilmart

Coeur de Cuvee, the top wine from Vilmart, is always very good. From magnum, it is even better. The magnums spend three years longer on the lees than the bottles: an impressive eight years in total. 2013 is the new release of Coeur de Cuvee in magnum and it is an excellent vintage. Antonio Galloni is spot-on in our opinion when he calls this wine “an absolute must-buy”.

Vilmart‘s reputation as a top-notch producer of grower Champagne is principally a result of the calibre of fruit. Proprietor Laurent Champs is known for his meticulous attention to detail, and the vineyards have been farmed without artificial chemicals since 1989, much longer than usual in Champagne. In the winery, the hallmark of the estate is its use of oak. As at producers such as Krug, all base wines are fermented in oak barrels to give richness and texture.

Coeur de Cuvee comes from Vilmart‘s oldest vines, which are a minimum of 60 years old. As the name suggests, it comes exclusively from the first press: the coeur (or heart) of the cuvee, which has the most vibrant fruit character. The base wine is a blend of 80% Chardonnnay and 20% Pinot Noir and winemaker Laurent Champs blocks malolactic fermentation to retain freshness. The long lees ageing produces a wine that is rich, complex and long, with a fine, persistent mousse.

2013 was notable in Champagne for the exceptionally late harvest. A cool spring and summer hail made for a long, slow ripening period but the vintage wines are excellent. Vilmart‘s Coeur de Cuvee shows just how good 2013 can be and the wine has plenty of structure to develop further in the cellar.

This is a stunning wine from one of Champagne’s most admired growers. If you like rich, complex Champagne with textural detail, this comes highly recommended.