Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or 2020 750ml

A finely meshed white, with a firm frame of acidity creating a compact feel at first. Expands on the palate, riding the raw silk–like mousse to reveal flavors of juicy blackberry, cassis and black cherry fruit, plus layers of candied lemon peel, chopped hazelnut, grated ginger and fragrant spices. Clean-cut and mineral-driven on the lasting finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged July 2024. Drink now through 2040.

• Country: France
• Region: Champagne
• Size: 750ml

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.