1997 Vilmart et Cie Vintage Cuvée Creation 1er Cru
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Tasting notes
(for a magnum; disgorged March, 2010) Light yellow. Wild, kaleidoscopic bouquet of candied pit fruits, pear, white flowers, spices and minerals, with strong notes of iodine and smoky minerality. Smells like a mature Chablis from a top producer and tastes like one too, offering deeply pitched orchard fruit and candied citrus flavors complicated by strong floral and mineral qualities. A real success for the vintage-or for any vintage-with excellent finishing clarity and stony persistence.
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Josh Raynolds
Josh Raynolds
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Light gold. Drop-dead gorgeous aromas of smoky, leesy pear, quince, peach, tangerine, cured meat, floral honey and nutmeg; smells like a Raveneau Chablis. Pure and deep, with potent orchard and pit fruit flavors, and a deep undercurrent of buttery lees. Bracing but balanced acidity gives focus and lift. Incredibly fresh and pure on the remarkably broad, long finish. I could still taste this Champagne ten minutes after I swallowed it.