March 21 Disgorgement. Fantastic. Lots of apple and pear on the nose. Bright acidity and some chalky extraction on the palate. Long, dry finish. Excellent.
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Heater week; 3/8/2024-3/17/2024 (Chicago, IL): Disgorged March 2021, LCC03-21-BT. I really love Vilmart -- it's got the richness I want in a bottle of champagne, it's clean, and opulent. This is no exception. An outstanding value with plenty of delicious and delicate white fruit. Sweet and full-bodied, but with all the necessary champagne acidity and cut. Much more rounded and complex with a few hours of air.
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Drank this several weeks ago and forgot to note. Really enjoyed this youthful fresh CdC, fantastic almost sweet fruit nose, apples and citrus and mineral on the palate and a long finish with a twist of mandarin on the finish. Drank this over three days and excellent every time. Just a great bottle.
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Champagne In My Backyard (My House): March 2021 disgorgement. Alan brought this and we added it to the table, with each of us getting a few ounces right away. So, it didn't get a lot of time to sit, nor any retaste. I offer this detail to help simply frame the aeration time it got. Lots of creamy citrus. Tangerine, citrusy mineral finish.
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Something new & something familiar (FMIII backyard): Very nice, consistent with prior bottles. Yellow apple on the nose. Ripe sweet lemon, concentrated mid palate with mandarin zest on the finish. Didn’t pour much of this or revisit it.
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Champagne at FMIII's: -- March 2021 disgorgement -- -- 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir --
Light apple aroma. High acidity matched with rich fruit. Dosage is immediately apparent, but I don’t find it to be too much. After a fair amount of discussion, I got on-board with Astrid’s “mandarin” call on the palate --- concentrated mandarin. Young-but-relaxed. Wish I had some in my cellar.
Double Fisted Champagne at Frank's: Checking Recent Buys AND Something Drinking Great Now (Frank Murray's Casa): Hard to believe I bought this wine over a year ago. Alan's contribution showed similar to the way mine did a year a couple months back. Still showing that flinty oak on the nose. Expressive palate. Tasty flowery apples with sneaky richness and a clean, chalky finish. I'd still like the oak to integrate better but there is plenty going on here. I'm still resting my remaining bottle a bit longer.
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Disgorged March 2021, LCC03-21-BT. Chalky, fresh, and super effervescent. Initially a very vigorous mousse, but this settled down very quickly, and became relatively calm and subdued. But there is good depth and concentration here -- it's clean, precise, chalky, and full on the palate. Really, everything Champagne ought to be. This bottle reminds me of why I'm such a big fan of Vilmart.
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Drank against a 2012 Dom to compare RM vs big house and this was the clear winner (although the Dom tasted off to me, fwiw). Would have done the 2012 of this too but I’m guessing that’s not quite ready yet. This fires on all cylinders — both the lemon acidity angle and plenty of brioche and graham cracker too. Classic but still unique. These are high quality and I’ll keep stocking up on them.
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March 2021 disgorgement. Served side-by-side with the Grand Cellier d'Or (both done blind). 80/20 Pinot Noir/Chard. 7 gms of dosage. I was able to identify both wines in the pairing. The CdC to me showed more power and concentration, even some coil. The signature of lime and tangerine were both present, but in an amplified, concentrated way, with even some grapefruit.....retasted this morning from the open bottle that sat out. So, it's had time to relax with air and just a few ounces deep down in the bottom of the bottle. Yet, with all of that potential to soften, the wine remains with coil my notes mentioned from last night. Lot of structure here.
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March 2021 disgorgement. I worked through several small 1 oz pours from the bottle my buddy opened for a larger dinner. I sampled it at different temps, and even when a few of the pours had went still. My impression collectively about this vintage reminds me a lot of the impression I had of the wine when Laurent poured it for for me at the winery back in the Spring of 2022. As with that bottle, this wine shows distinct structure, driven by lime zest and tangerine, along with a savory, cleansing note. My confidence in the note here is very high, as what I an describing was affirmed throughout the small tastes over the evening. The only thing I cannot add is a chance to taste this tomorrow, a 24 hr impression, as the wine was drained. But, my summation of the 2014 CdC is a wine with power, and not so effusive as some other vintages of CdC. I really liked the wine tonight, and as a follow-on, we will be doing the wine again next week, blind alongside the 2015 CdC, and Grand Cellier d'Or from both 2014 and 2015. 2014 CdC is very good.
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March 2021 disgorgement. Tasted over 2 days, and served on both days side by side with a NV Grand Cellier (same disgorgement, too), with both wines blind on the first day to help show contrast. 80% Chard / 20% Pinot Noir with about 6 years on the lees. On Day 1, this shows a powerful presence. Aromatically, chalky nose. The palate is driven by apple, pear, and a lot of tangerine, which I often find in Coeur de Cuvee. Even at 3 hours open on Day 1, this is tight and structured, slatey. On Day 2, what has emerged is a distinct pineapple profile, very dominant in the wine. And the citrusy tangerine too, with green apple. The structure remains evident, moreso than yesterday to the point where the wine seems out of balance. I had this experience with the 2014 late last year, when the bottle seemed grippy. My conclusion is that the 2014 needs a lot of air, but more likely needs a lot more time to soften given the vintage, and maybe it will never do that completely. It could be just the nature of 2014. Have two left, and while the vintage is still backfill-able, I'm going to move on and hold my remaining 2014s and try the 2015 which is now out.
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Always a cloud pleaser, always delivers. This was quite hefty and vinous - definitely a “food champagne” and not an apertif. I am always perplexed/amazed by Vilmart… as always, I could swear this was a Pinot dominant wine. But it never is. Always 80% chardonnay
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Initially reticent nose gives way to pear and floral notes on the nose. As others have said, the palate feels full and round like a PN-based wine, but that's deceptive. And while it's dense, the mousse is exceptionally fine and gives the wine a delightful, creamy texture. This should develop nicely for a few years.
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March 2021 disgorgement. Pulled from my cellar during dinner that was already humming so this bottle didn't last long. I got a couple pours and my memory was vibrant acidity, which both my palate light up and me smile. No detailed notes this time...just the joy of sharing some more CdC spur of the moment with a bunch of CA Pinot Noir drinkers! Mission accomplished.
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Disg 03/21. Hard flintiness on this one. So this needs a bit more time for integration. Rather tight initially. Light apple and pronounced citrus with long, chalky acidity. Overnight the fruit awakens. White flowers, ginger, fresh lemon and barely ripe apple. The structure is more powerful than the fruit. I don't see real aging depth here. This is quite good, at least after being open for quite some time. With all the tete de cuvees taking on steep price increases, this wine is starting to look like a real deal at $120.
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As ironic and unlikely as it may sound, this was served next to the exact same wine that I had brought bagged from my cellar. Simply, we had 2 bottles of the 2014 right next to each other in bags, served blind, with none of us knowing we were tasting the same wine. Of course, when we pulled the bags off, we all paused, laughed but recognized that even though the wines were the same (and with the exact same disgorge date of March 2021) both bottles showed differently. My bottle had a floral aroma, with candied tangerine, sweet citrus and yellow apple. The density was lovely. It came across as powerful and concentrated, and with more air, a distinct lime zest note appeared, giving the wine a zesty and tense impression. In contrast, my buddy's bottle was less grippy, more fleshy and seemingly gentler and richer. Yeah, the tangerine was there, but it did not have the intensity of my bottle. The group had a consensus agreement that the bottles tasted different, and while they were opened at the same time, they definitely showed differently. Fascinating.
Very impressive young champagne. Impeccably balanced, refreshing, lots of tart lemon notes on the palate. Light brioche, lemon and white fruit on the nose. Excellent young wine.
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Tasting with Laurent Champs of Vilmart (In Rilly la Montagne): Disgorged March 2021. I haven't got an offer yet on the 2014 so this is for me a treat to get to taste this out ahead of the purchase. Hell, I'd just buy a bunch of this anyway as I do each vintage o/f CdC but at least now I have some intel as to what is inside the bottle. 80% Chard and 20% Pinot, with the usual 6 years or so on the lees. Damn, this is good and I starred my notes. There is both richness and breadth here. Mandarin/tangerine, lime skin, yellow apple with a powerful core of energy and freshness. If my notes bear out here (I do like to taste things a few times before I gush over something as confirmed to be a real winner), this may end up going into that level of great. We'll see but let's color this first experience with the 2014 as fantastic.
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5/11/2024 - tastark Likes this wine:
March 21 Disgorgement. Fantastic. Lots of apple and pear on the nose. Bright acidity and some chalky extraction on the palate. Long, dry finish. Excellent.
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3/22/2024 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 94 Points
En fantastisk årgång av Coeur de Cuvée, tillgänglig redan nu.
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3/16/2024 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Heater week; 3/8/2024-3/17/2024 (Chicago, IL): Disgorged March 2021, LCC03-21-BT. I really love Vilmart -- it's got the richness I want in a bottle of champagne, it's clean, and opulent. This is no exception. An outstanding value with plenty of delicious and delicate white fruit. Sweet and full-bodied, but with all the necessary champagne acidity and cut. Much more rounded and complex with a few hours of air.
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3/5/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this several weeks ago and forgot to note. Really enjoyed this youthful fresh CdC, fantastic almost sweet fruit nose, apples and citrus and mineral on the palate and a long finish with a twist of mandarin on the finish. Drank this over three days and excellent every time. Just a great bottle.
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2/26/2024 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Champagne In My Backyard (My House): March 2021 disgorgement. Alan brought this and we added it to the table, with each of us getting a few ounces right away. So, it didn't get a lot of time to sit, nor any retaste. I offer this detail to help simply frame the aeration time it got. Lots of creamy citrus. Tangerine, citrusy mineral finish.
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2/25/2024 - IrisTable wrote:
Something new & something familiar (FMIII backyard): Very nice, consistent with prior bottles. Yellow apple on the nose. Ripe sweet lemon, concentrated mid palate with mandarin zest on the finish. Didn’t pour much of this or revisit it.
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2/25/2024 - grafstrb wrote:
Champagne at FMIII's: -- March 2021 disgorgement --
-- 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir --
Light apple aroma. High acidity matched with rich fruit. Dosage is immediately apparent, but I don’t find it to be too much. After a fair amount of discussion, I got on-board with Astrid’s “mandarin” call on the palate --- concentrated mandarin. Young-but-relaxed. Wish I had some in my cellar.
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2/25/2024 - WetRock wrote:
Double Fisted Champagne at Frank's: Checking Recent Buys AND Something Drinking Great Now (Frank Murray's Casa): Hard to believe I bought this wine over a year ago. Alan's contribution showed similar to the way mine did a year a couple months back. Still showing that flinty oak on the nose. Expressive palate. Tasty flowery apples with sneaky richness and a clean, chalky finish. I'd still like the oak to integrate better but there is plenty going on here. I'm still resting my remaining bottle a bit longer.
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2/4/2024 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Vilmart--Emotion and Coeur de Cuvee (select vintages), the meal anchored by Astrid (My House In The South OC): March 2021 disgorgement. 60% Pinot Noir / 40% Chardonnay. Bright mandarin orange, with pears and saline. Great depth here, too. This is gonna age really well.
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1/25/2024 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Disgorged March 2021, LCC03-21-BT. Chalky, fresh, and super effervescent. Initially a very vigorous mousse, but this settled down very quickly, and became relatively calm and subdued. But there is good depth and concentration here -- it's clean, precise, chalky, and full on the palate. Really, everything Champagne ought to be. This bottle reminds me of why I'm such a big fan of Vilmart.
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9/29/2023 - hprphf wrote: 92 Points
Reductive needing significant air, tasting extra brut, composed, mineral, sharp. 92+
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9/4/2023 - stanqwash Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank against a 2012 Dom to compare RM vs big house and this was the clear winner (although the Dom tasted off to me, fwiw). Would have done the 2012 of this too but I’m guessing that’s not quite ready yet. This fires on all cylinders — both the lemon acidity angle and plenty of brioche and graham cracker too. Classic but still unique. These are high quality and I’ll keep stocking up on them.
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8/21/2023 - domco wrote:
First sip and I had the usual 'wow is this good, I love Vilmart' reaction. No formal notes. Pop and enjoy, it's terrific.
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8/10/2023 - Frank Murray III wrote:
March 2021 disgorgement. Served side-by-side with the Grand Cellier d'Or (both done blind). 80/20 Pinot Noir/Chard. 7 gms of dosage. I was able to identify both wines in the pairing. The CdC to me showed more power and concentration, even some coil. The signature of lime and tangerine were both present, but in an amplified, concentrated way, with even some grapefruit.....retasted this morning from the open bottle that sat out. So, it's had time to relax with air and just a few ounces deep down in the bottom of the bottle. Yet, with all of that potential to soften, the wine remains with coil my notes mentioned from last night. Lot of structure here.
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8/2/2023 - Frank Murray III wrote:
March 2021 disgorgement. I worked through several small 1 oz pours from the bottle my buddy opened for a larger dinner. I sampled it at different temps, and even when a few of the pours had went still. My impression collectively about this vintage reminds me a lot of the impression I had of the wine when Laurent poured it for for me at the winery back in the Spring of 2022. As with that bottle, this wine shows distinct structure, driven by lime zest and tangerine, along with a savory, cleansing note. My confidence in the note here is very high, as what I an describing was affirmed throughout the small tastes over the evening. The only thing I cannot add is a chance to taste this tomorrow, a 24 hr impression, as the wine was drained. But, my summation of the 2014 CdC is a wine with power, and not so effusive as some other vintages of CdC. I really liked the wine tonight, and as a follow-on, we will be doing the wine again next week, blind alongside the 2015 CdC, and Grand Cellier d'Or from both 2014 and 2015. 2014 CdC is very good.
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6/10/2023 - Warren23 wrote:
Dinner party - Tim and Tina. Superb again!
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5/31/2023 - Frank Murray III wrote:
March 2021 disgorgement. Tasted over 2 days, and served on both days side by side with a NV Grand Cellier (same disgorgement, too), with both wines blind on the first day to help show contrast. 80% Chard / 20% Pinot Noir with about 6 years on the lees. On Day 1, this shows a powerful presence. Aromatically, chalky nose. The palate is driven by apple, pear, and a lot of tangerine, which I often find in Coeur de Cuvee. Even at 3 hours open on Day 1, this is tight and structured, slatey. On Day 2, what has emerged is a distinct pineapple profile, very dominant in the wine. And the citrusy tangerine too, with green apple. The structure remains evident, moreso than yesterday to the point where the wine seems out of balance. I had this experience with the 2014 late last year, when the bottle seemed grippy. My conclusion is that the 2014 needs a lot of air, but more likely needs a lot more time to soften given the vintage, and maybe it will never do that completely. It could be just the nature of 2014. Have two left, and while the vintage is still backfill-able, I'm going to move on and hold my remaining 2014s and try the 2015 which is now out.
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5/6/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Intensely dry. And stern. Needs some time to open up.
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3/27/2023 - asparagus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Always a cloud pleaser, always delivers. This was quite hefty and vinous - definitely a “food champagne” and not an apertif. I am always perplexed/amazed by Vilmart… as always, I could swear this was a Pinot dominant wine. But it never is. Always 80% chardonnay
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3/11/2023 - jlm wrote:
Initially reticent nose gives way to pear and floral notes on the nose. As others have said, the palate feels full and round like a PN-based wine, but that's deceptive. And while it's dense, the mousse is exceptionally fine and gives the wine a delightful, creamy texture. This should develop nicely for a few years.
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2/5/2023 - Frank Murray III wrote:
March 2021 disgorgement. Pulled from my cellar during dinner that was already humming so this bottle didn't last long. I got a couple pours and my memory was vibrant acidity, which both my palate light up and me smile. No detailed notes this time...just the joy of sharing some more CdC spur of the moment with a bunch of CA Pinot Noir drinkers! Mission accomplished.
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12/24/2022 - WetRock wrote:
Disg 03/21. Hard flintiness on this one. So this needs a bit more time for integration. Rather tight initially. Light apple and pronounced citrus with long, chalky acidity. Overnight the fruit awakens. White flowers, ginger, fresh lemon and barely ripe apple. The structure is more powerful than the fruit. I don't see real aging depth here. This is quite good, at least after being open for quite some time. With all the tete de cuvees taking on steep price increases, this wine is starting to look like a real deal at $120.
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12/18/2022 - Grinner wrote: 95 Points
Antica Terra Collective Tasting (Brick Hall, Dayton, OR): What a start! A nice mix of white and green citrus leading into apple and yeast. Great balance and then goes on and on. Denise's fave Champagne of the day.
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12/2/2022 - Frank Murray III wrote:
As ironic and unlikely as it may sound, this was served next to the exact same wine that I had brought bagged from my cellar. Simply, we had 2 bottles of the 2014 right next to each other in bags, served blind, with none of us knowing we were tasting the same wine. Of course, when we pulled the bags off, we all paused, laughed but recognized that even though the wines were the same (and with the exact same disgorge date of March 2021) both bottles showed differently. My bottle had a floral aroma, with candied tangerine, sweet citrus and yellow apple. The density was lovely. It came across as powerful and concentrated, and with more air, a distinct lime zest note appeared, giving the wine a zesty and tense impression. In contrast, my buddy's bottle was less grippy, more fleshy and seemingly gentler and richer. Yeah, the tangerine was there, but it did not have the intensity of my bottle. The group had a consensus agreement that the bottles tasted different, and while they were opened at the same time, they definitely showed differently. Fascinating.
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11/24/2022 - Warren23 wrote:
Drank on Thanksgiving with Tim and Tina. Wonderful, best wine of the night.
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11/2/2022 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very impressive young champagne. Impeccably balanced, refreshing, lots of tart lemon notes on the palate. Light brioche, lemon and white fruit on the nose. Excellent young wine.
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11/2/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with the wine group (O Sole Mio): Lovely balance, fresh acidity, appropriate dosage; long finish. A crowd pleaser. 94
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10/31/2022 - Gargantua Likes this wine:
Ravishing texture mineral and clementine. Always a fave.
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9/28/2022 - chicsucre wrote:
Tasted at vilmart et cie dinner at selbys
This one is poured side by side with grand cellier d’or 2016 - makes that one really shy
Distinctly more gold/ amber
Honey comb, striking acidity
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5/25/2022 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Tasting with Laurent Champs of Vilmart (In Rilly la Montagne): Disgorged March 2021. I haven't got an offer yet on the 2014 so this is for me a treat to get to taste this out ahead of the purchase. Hell, I'd just buy a bunch of this anyway as I do each vintage o/f CdC but at least now I have some intel as to what is inside the bottle. 80% Chard and 20% Pinot, with the usual 6 years or so on the lees. Damn, this is good and I starred my notes. There is both richness and breadth here. Mandarin/tangerine, lime skin, yellow apple with a powerful core of energy and freshness. If my notes bear out here (I do like to taste things a few times before I gush over something as confirmed to be a real winner), this may end up going into that level of great. We'll see but let's color this first experience with the 2014 as fantastic.
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