The 2001 Brut Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvee is another pristine brilliant wine here made all the more remarkable by the challenging vintage. This is a decidedly rich structured style for Vilmart with tons of fruit phenomenal length and an exceptional textured finish. Today the 2001 Coeur de Cuvee is a touch inward but another year or two in bottle should help the wine come to together. It is yet another superb Champagne from Vilmart and proprietor Laurent Champs. The Coeur de Cuvee is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from Les Blanches Voies fermented in small neutral French oak and bottled with 8 grams of dosage. Only the `heart' of the pressing the middle 800 liters is used for the Coeur de Cuvee hence the wine's name. This is Lot L0109 disgorged January 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021. -Antonio Galloni