2008 Vilmart Grand Cellier d'Or

The 2008 Grand Cellier d'Or is fascinating to taste next to the 2009. More ethereal and less immediate in style than its younger sibling, the 2008 impresses for its weightless and understated personality. Mint, sage, crushed rocks and wild flowers open up beautifully in the glass. The 2008 is just starting to show the first signs of complexity from aging in bottle. The Grand Cellier d'Or is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. This bottle was disgorged in March 2012.

The 2008 Brut Cuvée Grand Cellier d'Or is bright, focused and very tightly wound. Crystalline and energetic to the core, the 2008 is going to require at least a few years to fully come together. The wine's vibrancy and pure, chiseled flavors suggest it will age gracefully for years. The 2008 is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, both from Les Blanches Voies Bas in Rilly la Montagne, that spent 10 months in neutral oak. This bottle was disgorged on December 2012. Dosage was 8 grams/liter.

(made from 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot noir, from a single site; aged for ten months in four-to-six-year-old barrels before bottling and then aged on its lees for 41 months; disgorged in December, 2012): Green-tinged yellow. Bright mineral- and smoke-accented aromas of candied citrus fruits, fresh pear and fig, with a suave floral overtone. Tight, racy and precise, offering vibrant pear, orange and honeysuckle flavors that put on weight with air. Finishes on an emphatic mineral note, with lingering florality and excellent length.