Cellier d 'Or canapés- 3 types
Duck & pork rilletes
Tartelette of brandade and salmon eggs
Marinated monkfish brochette with chorizo

Cellier d'Or 80% CH 20% PN base wines kept in 50hl oak foudres This wine as one of the House's more basic wines really impressed tasters with it's combination of richness and finesse and it harmonious integration of fruit and oak.

1996 Cuvée Création
Eaglehawk Bay oyster with local abalone anDceleriac veloute.
Cuvée Creation 1996 70% CH 30% time in 225 l barrels. 6- 7 years on lees
This wine is just so youthful and for that reason wasn't appreciated as much by some tasters. For myself and a number of others,the potential of this wine is truly exciting, and made this wine one of, if not, the wine of the night. I only regret that I don't have any 1996 Coeur de Cuvee and was unable to get a bottle from Laurent Champs for the tasting as it would have been a most interesting link between
the Creation and the Coeur de Cuvee range.

Coeur de Cuvee - 80% CH 20% PN - best part of cuvée ( 1st press) - from 50 y.o vines time in 225L barrels , around 6 year on lees

1997 & 1993 Coeur de Cuvee
Caramelised Canadian scallop with crispy snails and a garlic puree.

The 1997 was typical of the vintage being gentle in style but still a beautifully balanced wine. Laurent has managed well to balance the oak of his House approach to the gentler style of 1997. Very nice drink over next 3 years.

1993 was far more developed and honeyed. For me probably at its peak.

1992 Coeur de Cuvee en magnum
Pan fried South Australian prawn with marinated Kipfler potatoes,shellfish sausage and cocktail garnish.

1992 from magnum had a darker colour than the 1993 but on the nose and palate
it was much more elegant, fresher and one could see this lasting for a number of years.
Whether it will get that much better I not sure but it's a lovely drink now so why wait?

1991 & 1989 Coeur de Cuvee
Green asparagus and duck proscuito salad
with an herb risotto.

The 1991 I was expecting to be the least of the CdeC wines but it surprised on the upside.
Fresh, well integrated fruit, acidity and oak. If one was to criticise it it would be that it had a little rusticity compared to most of the others.

1989 - Damn those b*&^%y Portuguese bark trees or processors!!! The even bigger blow was that under the taint this wine seemed to have great , balance, a lovely combination of soft ripe fruit with nice minerality and for a 1989 still a great freshness.

1997 & 1998 Grand Cellier Rubis 60% PN 40% CH - 225 l barrels - 5 years on lees.
Roast pigeon breast and leg resting on spring cabbage à  la franchise with a light curried ginger jus.

1997 I've had 4 bottles of this previously and found it to be one of the best rosés that I've drunk (Juhlin gave it something like 96 pts.). This bottle didn't quite live up to the others as it displayed a very slight level of sulphites on the nose and on the palate early on. This character with breathing and food dissapated to show the complex, powerful wine I
expected.

1998 was clean as a bell and displayed to full effect the fuller fruit of the vintage. This wine is beautifully perfumed, redolent of red fruits, elegant but powerful. Only disgorged this year it has potential to developed superbly. I really look forward to this cuvée from a great year. Also would love to taste the 1995 and 1996 Coeur de Cuvee wines at their peak, but alas that may never eventuate.
The Vilmart range especially the vintage wines are very much food wines and the rosés handled this dish with ease. As one leading winemaker present said the food really gives the wines a form that is not as evident when tasted "bare". In addition the wines really benefited from breathing and moderation ( upwards) in temperature. All wines were opened at least half an hour before
pouring and were better 20 minutes after pouring and at a temperature of around 12oC.

The Vilmart wines are of great quality. By the way he works the vine "en Bio" but doesn't advertise the fact like many. The wines will confront many tasters "definition" of champagne
with their power and vinosity but for those the go in with an open mind and drink them with food, not to cold and allow them time to evolve I think they will become converts.

Try them and report back.

Regards, Ian

Bonjour Ian,

Merci pour les commentaires.
Lors de mon prochain passage en Champagne, je ferai un saut chez eux.
Un caviste près de chez moi vend le Coeur de Cuvée 96, mais beaucoup trop cher. (jjj)

Amicalement

Didier

Bonjour Didier

Il merite le detour! The Coeur de Cuvee 1996 est epuisé à  la Maison. Le 1997 vend a juste en dessus de 30 euros HT pour te donner une idée.

Ian