2012 Champagne Vilmart & Cie., Les Blanches Voies, Blanc de Blancs, 1er Cru, Extra Brut
Critics reviews
The 2012 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Blanches Voies is elegant, weightless, and crystalline in its purity. Lemon peel, white flowers, crushed rocks, and marzipan abound. Another six months have done the 2012 wonders. It is a wine of transparency and crystalline purity. Even with more than two years of disgorgement, the 2012 is very tightly wound. It’s all understatement and class here.
Drink 2024 - 2032
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (November 2023)
The 2012 Champagne Blanc de Blancs Les Blanche Voies Extra Brut spent ten months in barrique before resting on its lees for 84 months. It offers sophisticated decadence in that it has restraint and needs time to unfold. Key lime pie, pure green apples, wet stone, and croissant lift from the glass. The mousse is equally compelling and graceful while being dry. It offers ripe pear and salinity that fleshes out for a long finish.
Drink 2024 - 2044
Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com (November 2022)
About this WINE
Champagne Vilmart & Cie
One is in no doubt, when chatting and tasting with the affable Laurent Champs of Champagne Vilmart, that one is in the presence of a very assured and gifted winemaker, a visionary in the mould of his close friend Anselme Selosse.
One must listen and taste carefully here however; it is easy to draw the wrong conclusions, be they from the somewhat grandiose architecture of the property or the seemingly ambitious winemaking, most of which relies on oak barrels and battonage, or, conversely, from the reputation of Rilly La Montagne for making sound but not spectacular wines. The answer to the enigma, as always, is located in the glass.
These wines are neither over-made, nor mediocre. Instead they represent some the best examples to come from the Montagne de Reims; the well-named Coeur De Cuvée is now one of the most sought-after of all Champagnes.
Blanc de Blancs
In Champagne, the term Blanc de Blancs designates Champagnes made only from Chardonnay grapes. The vineyards located between Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger in Côte des Blancs yield the best examples of the style.
A classic Blanc de Blancs is restrained and elegant when young, yet with ageing it develops a mouth-coating brioche richness that overlays an intense expression of fruitiness. Blanc de Blancs are endowed with longer ageing potential than a typical Blanc de Noirs.
Recommended Producers: Salon, Billecart Salmon, Jacques Selosse, Dom Ruinart, Krug, Le Mesnil Grand Cru, Guy Larmandier
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The 2012 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Blanches Voies is elegant, weightless, and crystalline in its purity. Lemon peel, white flowers, crushed rocks, and marzipan abound. Another six months have done the 2012 wonders. It is a wine of transparency and crystalline purity. Even with more than two years of disgorgement, the 2012 is very tightly wound. It’s all understatement and class here.
Drink 2024 - 2032
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (November 2023)
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