1999 Vilmart Cuvee Creation

Dense and rich and complex nose. Hint of oak. A food wine really. Off dry. (JR)

The 1999 Brut Premier Cru Cuvée Création is bold and sensual in its rich, varietal fruit, butterscotch, apricot jam and passion fruit. All of the elements are woven together beautifully in this textured, vivid Champagne. The 1999 Création is 80% Chardonnay from Les Blanches Voies and 20% Pinot Noir from Basses Grèves vinified in oak barrels and bottled with 9 grams of dosage. The 1999 is one of the finest Créations I can remember tasting. It is truly magnificent. This is Lot L1999, disgorged, February 2010.

The 1999 Brut Premier Cru Cuvee Creation is bold and sensual in its rich, varietal fruit, butterscotch, apricot jam and passion fruit. All of the elements are woven together beautifully in this textured, vivid Champagne. The 1999 Creation is 80% Chardonnay from Les Blanches Voies and 20% Pinot Noir from Basses Greves vinified in oak barrels and bottled with 9 grams of dosage. The 1999 is one of the finest Creations I can remember tasting. It is truly magnificent. This is Lot L1999, disgorged February 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020. Proprietor Laurent Champs makes some of the most elegant, refined Champagnes readers are likely to come across. Every wine I tasted during my visit earlier this year was fabulous. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste any of the house’s roses for this article, but they are among my favorite wines of the entire region. Vilmart’s roses are made in small quantities and disappear virtually as soon as they hit these shores, so readers should be on the lookout for any opportunity to snap them up. All of the Champagnes are aged in oak, which plays an important part in the Vilmart signature, yet few growers are as skilled in finding the perfect balance of fruit, structure and oak. In short, I can’t say enough good things about Vilmart. Readers owe it to themselves to check out these brilliant wines. A Terry Theise Selection, imported by Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300