Champagne Vilmart et Cie

Laurent Champs, owner and Chef de Cave of Vilmart is one of Champagne’s unsung heroes. Vilmart is what is known as a ‘grower Champagne’; Laurent owns all his own vines, rather than buying grapes in, giving him absolute control of the process from grape to glass. Wine critic Tom Stevenson described Vilmart as “the greatest grower Champagne I know” and Robert Parker wrote “Vilmart cuvées are among the most complex, powerful and structured wines in Champagne.” The house has been in the family for five generations, and Laurent’s daughter Morgane is following in his footsteps. There are 11 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards in Rilly-la-Montagne which are planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The oldest vines are reserved for the Coeur de Cuvée and Blanc de Blancs champagnes. Laurent’s standards are exacting; grapes are handpicked and only the best make it into the winery, his farming methods are environmentally friendly and vinification takes place entirely in oak. This gives them a richness and complexity not found at this price, and an unmistakably Vilmart character. As Laurent says, “we do wines first, then afterward we do Champagne.”