The Vilmart Creation and the Cuvee William Deutz, both from 1996, that Richard and I drank last week made an interesting pair. While the latter was a mainstream but excellent Champagne, the Vilmart was (as Richard remarked) very vinous - with a gamy edginess that is something I expect (and even admire) in fine young still wines.

On the plus side, this might well age into something much more harmonious and if it does, the wine will be brilliant. Richard believes it will and I don't want to disagree. On the negative side, the wine gives me an impression of being a little overwrought - the winemaking is perhaps showing through the wine a bit, at least at this stage in its life. Wondering whether Juhlin had tried this wine I found instead a note of his on a different Vilmart wine which he describes as having "fishy, gamy, unruly aromas" which at 10 years old had become "harmonious" and "exotic" - which would seem to support my brother's view. I still have some doubts about the style though - I must open one of my Cellier d'Or 90's soon for further illumination although I seem to recall suggestions that the style at Vilmart has evolved in the last decade or so.

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