Vilmart & Cie : Grand Cellier d'Or Brut 2021

Characteristics and Tasting Notes of the Grand Cellier d'Or Brut 2021 Vilmart & Cie

Tasting

Color
The champagne shows a pale yellow robe with bright silvery highlights. Fine, lively bubbles animate the glass with an elegant effervescence, giving an immediate impression of precision and freshness.

Nose
The nose opens on fresh shortbread pastry alongside musk and fragrant wood tones, followed by hints of star anise and jasmine, underlined by a delicate scent of dried flowers. The bouquet then moves toward toasted almond and amaretto, bringing refinement and depth, while gaining in finesse and elegance with aeration.

Palate
The attack reveals a lively citrus character, driven by lime and an intense, tonic freshness. The palate is chiseled and linear, carried by a saline tension and a precise effervescence that convey pure energy. The finish is persistent and vivid, leaving an impression of purity and a distinctly racy character.

Food and wine pairings
This champagne pairs naturally with caviar, as well as with shellfish such as langoustines served with light reduced sauces. It also complements fine white meats accompanied by concentrated jus, where its tension and aromatic complexity can shine without being overpowered.

Serving and cellaring
The lot of Grand Cellier d'Or Brut 2021 referenced by critics was disgorged in July 2025, following forty-two months of aging on lees in the estate's chalk cellars.

Other characteristics
Grand Cellier d'Or Brut 2021 is a Brut-style champagne with a dosage of 6 grams per liter. No malolactic fermentation was carried out, which preserves a lively acidity and a precise aromatic signature throughout the wine.

A Chardonnay-driven champagne from the chalk soils of Rilly-la-Montagne

The Estate
Vilmart & Cie was founded in 1890 by Désiré Vilmart in Rilly-la-Montagne, in the Montagne de Reims. The estate has remained in the hands of the same family ever since, now led by Laurent Champs, who represents the fifth generation, with his son Thomas having joined the house in 2020. Vilmart & Cie farms roughly 11 hectares entirely classified Premier Cru, standing out for an unusually chardonnay-dominant encépagement in a region historically associated with pinot noir, and for a winemaking approach built on barrel fermentation and the systematic avoidance of malolactic fermentation.

The Vineyard
The grapes for this Champagne Premier Cru originate from Rilly-la-Montagne and Villers-Allerand, two crus of the Montagne de Reims whose chalky soils, often topped with loam and clay, favor steady, gradual ripening. The parcels selected for this cuvée come from vines of about fifty years of age, reflecting the estate's practice of reserving its oldest plots for its most refined bottlings.

The Vintage
The 2021 growing season in Champagne was marked by significant mildew pressure, which considerably reduced yields across the region, including at Vilmart & Cie. The grapes destined for this cuvée were harvested by hand under these demanding sanitary conditions, requiring careful selection in the vineyard.

Winemaking and aging
Grand Cellier d'Or Brut 2021 is fermented and aged for ten months in small 228-liter oak barrels, without malolactic fermentation, a practice that preserves freshness and precision throughout the house's range. The wine then rests for forty-two months on its lees in the estate's chalk cellars before disgorgement, with a dosage of 6 grams per liter.

Grape Varieties
This cuvée is built from an assemblage of 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot noir, both classified Premier Cru.