Vilmart’s “exceptionally beautiful” Les Blanches Voies 2013

2013 Les Blanches Voies is the new release of Vilmart‘s Blanc de Blancs cuvee. Only made in top years for Chardonnay, this wine is outstanding in 2013. Antonio Galloni reckons it is the best iteration of this wine ever made, rating it 97 points, the highest score ever awarded to this wine.

Vilmart is one of Champagne’s most admired growers. William Kelley names it “one of Champagne’s top estates”. Galloni is similarly effusive, calling it a “a reference point for Champagnes that are all about elegance and refinement”. This elegance comes in no small part from the vineyard: Vilmart‘s Laurent Champs was an early adopter of sustainable viticulture. By farming on organic lines since 1989 he has been able to  produce fruit with exceptional vibrancy and expression.

Les Blanches Voies is the only Blanc de Blancs made at Vilmart. It comes from a single plot in Rilly-La-Montagne where the vines are over sixty years old. As is typical at Vilmart, oak is used for the base wine to give breadth and texture the wine. The 2013 spent 10 months in 228L oak barrels before an extended period in contact with the lees of 84 months. Malolactic fermentation was blocked to ensure freshness, and the dosage for the 2013 is 4 g/l.

2013 was a long cool growing season in Champagne, allowing for extended flavour development in the grapes. The vintage was widely declared, and the wines are notable for their tension and longeveity.

The 2013 Les Blanches Voies is an outstanding wine from Vilmart. Fine, complex and elegant, it is showing well already but will benefit from further ageing.

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