Vilmart Brut Champagne Grand Cellier 1er Cru NV

95 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(tasted in 2023 in France; 70% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir; 2019 base vintage with reserves from 2018 and 2017; 50% reserves; aged 10 months in foudres; average vine age 30 years; no malolactic fermentation; disgorged April 2022). There is a succulent generosity here and this sits beautifully within the graceful style of the northern Montagne and the elegant poise of Vilmart. It leads out with soft white peach and pear fruit, then its lemon and grapefruit tang glides in eloquently, carrying a long finish of fine, saline chalk minerality. The massaging effect of foudres brings a wonderfully harmonious creaminess. Benchmark Grand Cellier. (Edition VII; 2024)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "[$83 list] There's a vibrant buoyancy to this graceful Champagne, with the finely detailed mousse and mouthwatering acidity serving as a springboard for flavors of ripe cherry, tangerine zest and macadamia nut, plus fragrant notes of lime blossoms, ground ginger and cardamom. Long and minerally on the plush finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged July 2023. Drink now through 2034. (11/30/24)"

93-94 points Essi Avellan, MW: "(70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir) Based on the harvest of 2019, this wine is complemented by reserves from 2018 and 2017. The elegantly toast-lined nose is full of promise, with radiant fruit complemented by spicy liquorice tones. Having been disgorged back in December 2021, this wine shows refined post-disgorgement evolution. The Chardonnay drives the lemony palate of stunning acidity. The lacy-textured and smoothly bubbling palate has plenty of drive and zestiness. (Oct 2020)"

93 points Tom Hewson (Decanter): "Beautifully refined and delicate with clementine and pale strawberry enlivened by a touch of flintiness and creaminess and delivered with a delicate mousse. The Chardonnay lifts and elongates with fine zesty energy. Detailed, poised and classy, this is superb value. 10 months predominantly in large oak foudres. Drinking Window: 2023-2028. (4/28/23)"

92 points Wine & Spirits: "This is a 70-30 blend of chardonnay and pinot noir grown in clay-limestone soils. The components come from harvests in 2014 through ’16, the wines aged 10 months in foudre. It’s spicy in its structure and lasting in its fruit, with flavors ranging from the red blush of pear skin to orange and dry pineapple. Powerful, generous and still tight, this should develop well over the next several years. (Dec 2021)"

92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The current release of Laurent Champs’ Grand Cellier non-vintage Brut bottling is from the base year of 2018, with reserve wines included from the previous two vintages. The cépages is seventy percent chardonnay and thirty percent pinot noir. The vins clairs do not undergo malo and were aged in large foudres for ten months prior to bottling up for secondary fermentation. It was given two and a half years aging sur latte and finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter after its disgorgement in February of 2022. The wine offers up a very refined aromatic constellation of apple, pear, white lilies, bread dough, chalky minerality and the first vestiges of an eventual smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, crisp and full-bodied, with fine depth at the core, excellent mineral drive, refined mousse and a long, complex and very well-balanced finish. This is already very tasty, but still pretty brisk, and a bit of bottle age will let the acids relax a bit more and the wine to really blossom. A very serious non-vintage Brut. 2022-2050. (Jul/Aug 2022)"