Vilmart Brut Champagne Coeur de Cuvée 1er Cru 2013

97 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(tasted in 2021 in France; 80% chardonnay, 20% pinot noir, disgorged Dec 2020. 60 year old vines of very low yields, 5000kg/Ha. I extract only 1400L rather than 2550L and this is only 7 barrels. Aged 10 months in barrel plus six years on lees.). Laurent Champs captures a presence and chalk mineral depth rarely ever found in premier crus, a masterful testimony to his ever-rising wizardry. Never has this been declared more dramatically than in Coeur de Cuvée 2013, one of the most sublime creations to ever emerge from this beloved little cellar in Rilly-la-Montagne. The precision and delicacy of brilliant white fruit purity on radiant display here had me absolutely mesmerised, bathed delectably in the vanilla cream, toast and roast almond texture of barrel fermentation. Malic acidity is at once pronounced and yet impeccably integrated. The swirling, salty chalk minerality of the northern Montagne de Reims has never shone with more dazzling clarity and prominence, drawing our a finish of spectacular line, length and enduring promise. (Edition VII; 2024)"

96 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2013 Brut Coeur de Cuvée is fabulous, not to mention and absolute must-buy for Vilmart fans. All of the tension of the late harvest comes through in a Champagne that dazzles with tension and energy. Bright acids drive a core of Chardonnay fruit. Citrus, white pepper, white flowers and crushed rocks abound. Readers should be in no rush to open the 2013, it's a wine for the cellar. Disgorged: December, 2020. Drink: 2023-2033. (Nov 2021)"

95 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "Disgorged in December 2020, Vilmart's 2013 Brut Coeur de Cuvée wafts from the glass with aromas of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, crisp yellow orchard fruit, white peach and nougat. Full-bodied, deep and layered, it's a seamless, concentrated Champagne that's chiseled and complete. This is a terrific rendition of this perennially exceptional cuvée. Drink: 2021-2040. (Jan 2022)"

94 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2013 Vilmart “Coeur de Cuvée” is comprised of a blend of eighty percent chardonnay and twenty percent pinot noir, with all of the vines hailing from the estate’s home village of Rilly la Montagne. The vines utilized for this cuvée are all in excess of fifty-five years of age and the vins clairs do not go through malolactic fermentation and are given an extended elevage in cask of ten months prior to bottling up for secondary fermentation. The wine was given more than six years aging sur latte prior to its disgorgement in December of 2020 and is drinking splendidly today. The utterly refined bouquet jumps from the glass in a blend of lemon, green apple, fresh-baked bread, a lovely base of chalky minerality, citrus peel and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is precise, full-bodied and elegant in profile, with a fine core, excellent mineral drive, very refined mousse and a long, zesty and beautifully balanced finish of lovely breed and complexity. This is first class juice that is only going to get better with further bottle age. 2021-2050. (Sep/Oct 2021)"