Producer Article
Lilbert-Fils
Last edited on 4/16/2016 by gregg g
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Peter Liem: "Lilbert makes classic Côte des Blancs champagnes of great purity, finesse and expression. They emphasize a brisk raciness and intensely chalky minerality, and while both the Perle and the vintage wine demonstrate the intensity and complex depth of old-vine chardonnay, they are focused much more on elegance and harmony than on power. The only problem with these wines is finding them, as the tiny production is eagerly snapped up upon release by a near-cult following of clientele around the world.
This tiny 4-ha Cramant domain is the source of some very fine and long-lived Blanc de Blancs made by Georges Lilbert and his son Betrand. The style is less soft, creamy, and flowery than the Blanc de Blancs of most large houses might leave the drinker expecting: Cramant here has a taut, steely, rigorous quality, even in riper vintages like 1995. Bertrand Lilbert has finally taken over the wine making from his father Georges. The low yielding family vineyards lie in Grand Crus of Chouilly, Oiry, and Cramant. The wines are made in a classic structured style with abundant acid to guarantee long aging potential. But that said, They are also very enjoyable in their youth. The Lilbert property was established in 1746 and consists of only 4 ha Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote des Blancs, 60% in Cramant, 30% in Chouilly, and 10% in Oiry. The wines show real structure and tightness. These are impressive indeed and are at the pinnacle of quality.
Since 1746 the Lilbert family has been making Champagne in the hilltop village of Cramant. This tiny artisan house makes only grand cru blanc de blancs from 100% Chardonnay and averages 2,250 cases each year. To put this in perspective, the house of Moët & Chandon pumps out 25 million cases each year. Quite unlike Moët, the Lilberts use only grapes from their own vineyards—9.4 acres divided among 14 parcels in the grand cru villages of Oiry, Chouilly, and Cramant on the Côte des Blancs. The majority of their acreage is in Cramant. (Note: Cramant should not be confused with crémant. A term once used for a style, crémant now legally refers to all méthode Champenoise wine made outside of the Champagne appellation.)
The Côte des Blancs is a ridge that begins just outside of Epernay and runs north-south. Vineyards grow on its east-facing escarpment, making the resemblance to Burgundy's Côte d'Or a rich parallel (although here the soil is white chalk and the ridgeline is much shorter). Young Bertrand Lilbert began working with his father in the 1990s and made one change. The village of Cramant has long had one of the truly great terroirs of the Côte des Blancs. Why not, he thought, honor this tradition? Thus he made the 1995 vintage Champagne from 100% Cramant fruit, saving the fruit from the other village parcels for the non-vintage wine. The result was superb, and he has made the practice standard.
Michel Bettane, France's top critic, names Maison Lilbert-Fils as the reference point for Cramant. As Andrew Jefford observes in his book, The New France, "This tiny 4-ha Cramant domaine is the source of some very fine and long-lived Blanc de Blancs made by Georges Lilbert and his son Bertrand. The style is less soft, creamy, and flowery than the Blanc de Blancs of most large houses might leave the drinker expecting: Cramant here has a taut, steely, rigorous quality...."
Peter Liem: "Lilbert makes classic Côte des Blancs champagnes of great purity, finesse and expression. They emphasize a brisk raciness and intensely chalky minerality, and while both the Perle and the vintage wine demonstrate the intensity and complex depth of old-vine chardonnay, they are focused much more on elegance and harmony than on power. The only problem with these wines is finding them, as the tiny production is eagerly snapped up upon release by a near-cult following of clientele around the world.
This tiny 4-ha Cramant domain is the source of some very fine and long-lived Blanc de Blancs made by Georges Lilbert and his son Betrand. The style is less soft, creamy, and flowery than the Blanc de Blancs of most large houses might leave the drinker expecting: Cramant here has a taut, steely, rigorous quality, even in riper vintages like 1995. Bertrand Lilbert has finally taken over the wine making from his father Georges. The low yielding family vineyards lie in Grand Crus of Chouilly, Oiry, and Cramant. The wines are made in a classic structured style with abundant acid to guarantee long aging potential. But that said, They are also very enjoyable in their youth. The Lilbert property was established in 1746 and consists of only 4 ha Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote des Blancs, 60% in Cramant, 30% in Chouilly, and 10% in Oiry. The wines show real structure and tightness. These are impressive indeed and are at the pinnacle of quality.
Since 1746 the Lilbert family has been making Champagne in the hilltop village of Cramant. This tiny artisan house makes only grand cru blanc de blancs from 100% Chardonnay and averages 2,250 cases each year. To put this in perspective, the house of Moët & Chandon pumps out 25 million cases each year. Quite unlike Moët, the Lilberts use only grapes from their own vineyards—9.4 acres divided among 14 parcels in the grand cru villages of Oiry, Chouilly, and Cramant on the Côte des Blancs. The majority of their acreage is in Cramant. (Note: Cramant should not be confused with crémant. A term once used for a style, crémant now legally refers to all méthode Champenoise wine made outside of the Champagne appellation.)
The Côte des Blancs is a ridge that begins just outside of Epernay and runs north-south. Vineyards grow on its east-facing escarpment, making the resemblance to Burgundy's Côte d'Or a rich parallel (although here the soil is white chalk and the ridgeline is much shorter). Young Bertrand Lilbert began working with his father in the 1990s and made one change. The village of Cramant has long had one of the truly great terroirs of the Côte des Blancs. Why not, he thought, honor this tradition? Thus he made the 1995 vintage Champagne from 100% Cramant fruit, saving the fruit from the other village parcels for the non-vintage wine. The result was superb, and he has made the practice standard.
Michel Bettane, France's top critic, names Maison Lilbert-Fils as the reference point for Cramant. As Andrew Jefford observes in his book, The New France, "This tiny 4-ha Cramant domaine is the source of some very fine and long-lived Blanc de Blancs made by Georges Lilbert and his son Bertrand. The style is less soft, creamy, and flowery than the Blanc de Blancs of most large houses might leave the drinker expecting: Cramant here has a taut, steely, rigorous quality...."