2008 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee

The 2008 Coeur de Cuvée (magnum) is positively brilliant. It is also likely to require quite a bit of time to be at its very best. Even so, the 2008 shimmers with tension, energy and polish. Lemon confit, chalk, chamomile and white flowers are all finely cut in this chiseled, super-expressive edition of the Coeur de Cuvée. The 2008 boasts incredible fruit density and structure, with distinctly mineral and graphite notes that develop in the glass. In a word: dazzling! Unfortunately, there are just 395 magnums to go around. Disgorged November 2016. Dosage is 7 grams per liter.

A wine of crystalline energy and tension, the 2008 Brut Coeur de Cuvée is utterly captivating from the first taste. The flavors are bright, lifted and finely sculpted throughout. White peach, mint, flowers and white pepper add intriguing aromatic top notes, but it is the wine's salivating focus and cut that elevate it. The Brut Coeur de Cuvée emerges from old vines in the Blanches Voies Hautes lieu-dit in Rilly-la-Montagne. The 2008 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own, but it is a real beauty, even at this early stage. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 2015.

80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir. Vines over 55 years old. Very low yield <45hl/ha. Must taken from the middle portion of the cuvée pressing. Fermented and aged in small oak for 10 months before bottling. Malo blocked. Dosage 8-9 g/l dosage. Pale straw yellow. Delicate and almost like the most luxurious lemonade. Bone-dry impression (despite the highish dosage) presumably because of the acidity. Delicate lacy-textured. Very correct and refreshing without trying to make a point. Just good wine. (JR)