Power and elegance. Buttered mushrooms, grilled lemons and yeasty bread. Still a prominent acidity. Long aftertaste. Brilliant right now if you like aged champagne that are still fresh!
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Magnum. Fantastic wine. Great depth and energy, changes and develops over a few hours open. Rather big boned (perhaps from the oak) and with distinct citrus notes. Could use more time in this format size.
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Quite fresh and in good nick. Has some tarte tatin notes and a core of sweet peach fruit. There's some toasty development and bead is fine. It is full and creamy and right in the drinking zone.
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Wow! a nose of winterapples, gunpowder, baked bread, hazelnuts and some oxidation
The wine has high acidity so I think it can have a long life ahead, orange, nuts, gunpowder, burnt, bread, para-nuts, yellow apples and oxidation on the palete.
excelent even thou 1997 isn´t the most famous vintage!
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Volnay @ The Ledbury (The Ledbury, London): Ginger spice, good prickle, medium length. Pleasant but not a wow. Lots of depth through the mid-palate and a positive finish. Good. ***1/2
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Epic Boys Trip; 6/13/2012-6/17/2012 (Napa and San Francisco): From mag... bright yellow urine color, abundant very fine mousse. Lots of exotically spiced ripe yellow fruits… opens up with time to show lots of minerality, lots of toast and leesiness. On the palate very high acidity, a very firm and cru-like midpalate with loads of focus. Excellent balance, good length, great intensity, good complexity at this stage. Great finesse, fantastic texture, perfect expression of place. This needs at least 3-5 and will last a decade + from there... fantastic stuff!
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Medium yellow color. Abundant, medium bead. Aromas of apple, bread, lemon, and jasmine. Palate has ripe apple, pear, lemon, jasmine, and a hint of nuttiness that leads into a round, rich, medium-long finish. This is much more integrated than the Cuvee Creation and still holding well. My preferred wine of the Creation, Rubis, and Coeur in 1997. Drink or hold.
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Medium yellow color, medium bead. Shy nose of salt dough, lemon, lime, and minerals. Palate shows a tart lemon core with some floral dressing around this spine. Compared to a bottle of four years ago from the same batch, this showed much less evolution and was all about acid structure. This bottle suggests more time is required. The last bottle was ready and round. Bottle variation? Setting? Drink or hold.
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En av de bättre 1997, helt mogen nu enligt min mening. Väldigt koncentrerat, faten slår igenom, Mycket exotiska frukter, som att vara i söderhavet. Lång eftersmak. Mycket bra vin. Drick nu
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Tried this over a month ago, recall that this was sharply crisp and acidic. Very curious to see how this evolves over the next several years. Was very different contrast to the '96 vilmart creation that I tried which had a very smooth nutty / peanut butter nose to it.
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Light straw colour with a fine bead. Lemon, pear, brine and earth on the nose. There is subtle fruit sweetness balanced with excellent acidity on the palate. Long and intense, this is an excellent wine and one of the better 97s I've tasted.
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Truly fantastic champagne! incredibly biscuity on the nose, dark yellow in colour with a freshness on the palate which underlines the overt richness almost tobacco and cream element on the middle palate. Drinking superbly now with ageing potential ahead. If you like krug's full bodied style go for this perhaps instead and save yourself some money.....
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Yellow color with a biscuity nose. On the palate, lemon zest, yeast, bread, and a long, satisfying finish. Much better integrated than the Cuvee Creation at this point. This wine has put on some weight in the bottle and is drinking very well right now. I don't expect this one to age forever, but it should hold and provide pleasure for some time to come.
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"Barbara Burlingame" Offline (Rotisserie Jules, London): Very very fine mousse, intense roast grapefruit on nose, quite tight but powerful, approacable but there is serious acidity lurking. Oak is present but lurking behind, as I said last time I tried this (2 months ago), it needs a few years to really open out. Potential 95+
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Offline with Barbara Burlingame (Rotisserie Jules, South Kensington): 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. This champagne obviously needs a few more years to show its true colours. Medium to fine mousse, big bodied, with lots of underlying fruit, herbal notes and a lemony finish. Just hints of butter starting to show but otherwise very tight.
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Bright colour, medium mousse. Bright acidic body, good fruit. Not very rounded and deep though, lacking the minerality and bakery notes that it had previously. Didn't taste off, but just not a full expression. Does champagne shut down? Enjoyable, nice with apps, but not at the level it should have been.
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Very light slow bubbles. Faint green / lemon Rich deep nose, faint sweet oak in background. Fresh baked brioche sweetness on attack, opens up to rich ripe yellow fruit, with a spicyness to the finish. Acidity and oak already in check, this is approachable now in it's youth, great future ahead though. Potential 95
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Thiese Champagne Dinner (Alana's): Excellent. Clearly marked with the Vilmart style, but deep underlying mineral and layers of fruit and body. Well-rounded, very intense with deep notes of flesh, apricot - rounded off with creamy biscuits. Delicious and great pairing - "Venision tenderloin with parsnips, yellow oyster mushrooms and duck hollandaise.
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Champagne Dinner at Lantern (Chapel Hill, NC): Explosive nose with a great combination of fruit and minerals along with some floral aspects. Very fresh tasting with a great future. Oak treatment is obvious, but understated and in balance. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93+
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12/17/2022 - tarheel17 wrote:
Tired, “mostly dead” to quote a favorite movie. Tasted like cider, not bad cider, but definitely not good champagne. Cest la vie.
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12/5/2022 - Lars1974 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Power and elegance. Buttered mushrooms, grilled lemons and yeasty bread. Still a prominent acidity. Long aftertaste. Brilliant right now if you like aged champagne that are still fresh!
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12/3/2021 - Corgi wrote:
Rich, nougaty, and layers of honey; glistering amber. While it is at its maturity, it has vitality to it. A fantastic Vilmart.
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6/3/2021 - soyhead wrote:
rich, honeyed, and baking spice.
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12/3/2018 - LW31 Likes this wine:
Magnum. Fantastic wine. Great depth and energy, changes and develops over a few hours open. Rather big boned (perhaps from the oak) and with distinct citrus notes. Could use more time in this format size.
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7/18/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
In phantastic shape. Young, powerful, still a lot of lime and Grapefruit, minimal tertiary notes, the best 97 I had, at least ten more years, 94(95)
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12/19/2016 - dansamsoe Likes this wine:
Very fresh and good. Suprised me on the upside. Showing some buttery citrus notes with good energy.
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9/14/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Quite fresh and in good nick. Has some tarte tatin notes and a core of sweet peach fruit. There's some toasty development and bead is fine. It is full and creamy and right in the drinking zone.
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5/25/2016 - christyler Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yep, Vilmart is great in bad vintages. A little jumpy and acidic at first, but great showing overall.
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12/31/2015 - carlwhat wrote:
surprising how vilmart can make a good wine in a supposed off-vintage.
from magnum, with still strong bubbles and good cut and length. very lovely.
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9/4/2014 - MWiking wrote: 93 Points
Wow! a nose of winterapples, gunpowder, baked bread, hazelnuts and some oxidation
The wine has high acidity so I think it can have a long life ahead, orange, nuts, gunpowder, burnt, bread, para-nuts, yellow apples and oxidation on the palete.
excelent even thou 1997 isn´t the most famous vintage!
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6/1/2013 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Volnay @ The Ledbury (The Ledbury, London): Ginger spice, good prickle, medium length. Pleasant but not a wow. Lots of depth through the mid-palate and a positive finish. Good. ***1/2
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6/13/2012 - markjanes wrote: 92 Points
Epic Boys Trip; 6/13/2012-6/17/2012 (Napa and San Francisco): From mag... bright yellow urine color, abundant very fine mousse. Lots of exotically spiced ripe yellow fruits… opens up with time to show lots of minerality, lots of toast and leesiness. On the palate very high acidity, a very firm and cru-like midpalate with loads of focus. Excellent balance, good length, great intensity, good complexity at this stage. Great finesse, fantastic texture, perfect expression of place. This needs at least 3-5 and will last a decade + from there... fantastic stuff!
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5/2/2012 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium yellow color. Abundant, medium bead. Aromas of apple, bread, lemon, and jasmine. Palate has ripe apple, pear, lemon, jasmine, and a hint of nuttiness that leads into a round, rich, medium-long finish. This is much more integrated than the Cuvee Creation and still holding well. My preferred wine of the Creation, Rubis, and Coeur in 1997. Drink or hold.
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5/2/2011 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium yellow color, medium bead. Shy nose of salt dough, lemon, lime, and minerals. Palate shows a tart lemon core with some floral dressing around this spine. Compared to a bottle of four years ago from the same batch, this showed much less evolution and was all about acid structure. This bottle suggests more time is required. The last bottle was ready and round. Bottle variation? Setting? Drink or hold.
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10/22/2010 - yotaiwan wrote: 93 Points
sweet, fresh, good acidity and sweet yeasts. gonna have to wait some more though.
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6/23/2010 - Shorepower wrote:
En av de bättre 1997, helt mogen nu enligt min mening. Väldigt koncentrerat, faten slår igenom, Mycket exotiska frukter, som att vara i söderhavet. Lång eftersmak. Mycket bra vin. Drick nu
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9/10/2009 - Corgi wrote:
Tried this over a month ago, recall that this was sharply crisp and acidic. Very curious to see how this evolves over the next several years. Was very different contrast to the '96 vilmart creation that I tried which had a very smooth nutty / peanut butter nose to it.
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9/8/2009 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 94 Points
August 2009 - Holiday Wines (The Charente): Glossy, a real show off of polished oak, exploding yellow fruit, very very bright and showbiz, still very young.
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3/15/2009 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Waterford Staff Attack (Waterford Wines Milwaukee): MAGNUM. quite peppy. awesome huge fruit. just a touch oxidative now. dusty minerality.
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10/27/2008 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Beautiful refined, lively wine, pure young fruit, with a hint of old polished furniture.
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10/20/2008 - Michael wrote: 95 Points
Excellent. One of our favorite recent champagnes. Toasty but not overwhelming. Very nicely balanced and fresh. Should hold several more years.
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7/26/2008 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Light straw colour with a fine bead. Lemon, pear, brine and earth on the nose. There is subtle fruit sweetness balanced with excellent acidity on the palate. Long and intense, this is an excellent wine and one of the better 97s I've tasted.
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5/14/2008 - olzhoward wrote: 93 Points
Truly fantastic champagne! incredibly biscuity on the nose, dark yellow in colour with a freshness on the palate which underlines the overt richness almost tobacco and cream element on the middle palate. Drinking superbly now with ageing potential ahead. If you like krug's full bodied style go for this perhaps instead and save yourself some money.....
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5/3/2007 - fredb wrote:
Yellow color with a biscuity nose. On the palate, lemon zest, yeast, bread, and a long, satisfying finish. Much better integrated than the Cuvee Creation at this point. This wine has put on some weight in the bottle and is drinking very well right now. I don't expect this one to age forever, but it should hold and provide pleasure for some time to come.
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10/20/2006 - LoireFan wrote:
Drunk too young and didn't show as well as I expected. 88?
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2/13/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 92 Points
"Barbara Burlingame" Offline (Rotisserie Jules, London): Very very fine mousse, intense roast grapefruit on nose, quite tight but powerful, approacable but there is serious acidity lurking. Oak is present but lurking behind, as I said last time I tried this (2 months ago), it needs a few years to really open out. Potential 95+
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2/9/2006 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Offline with Barbara Burlingame (Rotisserie Jules, South Kensington): 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. This champagne obviously needs a few more years to show its true colours. Medium to fine mousse, big bodied, with lots of underlying fruit, herbal notes and a lemony finish. Just hints of butter starting to show but otherwise very tight.
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11/11/2005 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Bright colour, medium mousse. Bright acidic body, good fruit. Not very rounded and deep though, lacking the minerality and bakery notes that it had previously. Didn't taste off, but just not a full expression. Does champagne shut down? Enjoyable, nice with apps, but not at the level it should have been.
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10/31/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 92 Points
Very light slow bubbles.
Faint green / lemon
Rich deep nose, faint sweet oak in background.
Fresh baked brioche sweetness on attack, opens up to rich ripe yellow fruit, with a spicyness to the finish.
Acidity and oak already in check, this is approachable now in it's youth, great future ahead though. Potential 95
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2/28/2005 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Thiese Champagne Dinner (Alana's): Excellent. Clearly marked with the Vilmart style, but deep underlying mineral and layers of fruit and body. Well-rounded, very intense with deep notes of flesh, apricot - rounded off with creamy biscuits. Delicious and great pairing - "Venision tenderloin with parsnips, yellow oyster mushrooms and duck hollandaise.
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10/26/2004 - JeffGMorris wrote: 93 Points
Champagne Dinner at Lantern (Chapel Hill, NC): Explosive nose with a great combination of fruit and minerals along with some floral aspects. Very fresh tasting with a great future. Oak treatment is obvious, but understated and in balance. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93+
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