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. These wines are neither over-made, nor mediocre. Instead they represent some of the best examples to come from the Montagne de Reims.

Laurent Champs, Vilmart’s charismatic winemaker, clearly shares qualitative aspirations which are self-evidently of the highest order. The winning combination treats fine Rilly fruit to élevage in foudre and old barrique, a blocked malolactic fermentation, and three years of lees-ageing. The wine is gastronomic, cerebral and in need of patient contemplation. Over time fruit will cede to honey, mellow sweetness and a real sense of place.