VILMART & CIE — THOMAS CHAMPS
Champagne Vilmart & Cie is one of the most respected grower-producers in the Montagne de Reims, based in the Premier Cru village of Rilly-la-Montagne. Founded in 1890 by Désiré Vilmart, the estate has remained family-owned for five generations and today is closely associated with Laurent Champs, with his son Thomas Champs representing the next generation of the family. Over more than a century, Vilmart has developed a distinctive identity built around meticulous farming, long élevage, and an unusually important role for barrel fermentation.
The estate farms roughly 11 hectares, planted primarily to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vilmart has practiced environmentally conscious viticulture for decades and avoids herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, focusing instead on healthy soils, careful vineyard work, and low yields. This attention in the vineyard is particularly important to the Vilmart style: the wines combine the structure and depth associated with the Montagne de Reims with remarkable freshness, precision, and elegance.
What truly distinguishes Vilmart is its cellar work. The wines are fermented and aged in oak rather than relying primarily on stainless steel, with different sizes and ages of barrels used depending on the cuvée. Malolactic fermentation is generally avoided, helping preserve acidity and tension despite the richness developed through barrel fermentation and extended lees aging. The result is a recognizable house style—textural and vinous, yet energetic rather than heavy, with Chardonnay playing an especially important role in bringing finesse and mineral freshness.
Vilmart is often discussed as a particularly Burgundian expression of Champagne, not because the wines imitate Burgundy, but because of the estate's emphasis on vineyard character, barrel élevage, texture, and the idea of Champagne as a serious wine before it is a sparkling wine. Thomas Champs represents the continuation of this philosophy into the next generation, making Vilmart an ideal producer for understanding how farming, oak, acidity, and extended aging can create Champagne of extraordinary depth and longevity.
A. MARGAINE — MATHILDE MARGAINE
Champagne A. Margaine is a historic grower estate based in Villers-Marmery, a Premier Cru village on the eastern side of the Montagne de Reims. The domaine has been shaped for decades by Arnaud Margaine, with his daughter Mathilde Margaine now representing the next generation of the family. Like Vilmart, Margaine is deeply rooted in its home village, but the wines provide a fascinatingly different interpretation of the Montagne de Reims.
Villers-Marmery is unusual because, despite its location in a region famous for Pinot Noir, the village is overwhelmingly associated with Chardonnay. Its chalk-rich slopes create wines with freshness, mineral tension, and finesse, giving Margaine a distinctive identity within the Montagne. The family farms approximately 6.5 hectares, with Chardonnay accounting for the vast majority of its vineyards and a much smaller amount devoted to Pinot Noir.
The Margaine style balances bright fruit and chalky freshness with texture and depth. Rather than pursuing power, the wines emphasize precision, elegance, and the particular character of Villers-Marmery Chardonnay. Extended lees aging and thoughtful élevage build complexity while allowing the mineral backbone and freshness of the vineyards to remain central to the wines.
Together, Vilmart and A. Margaine provide two compelling interpretations of the Montagne de Reims. Both are multigenerational family estates now moving into a new generation with Thomas Champs and Mathilde Margaine, yet each approaches Champagne through a different lens. Vilmart demonstrates the transformative role of barrel fermentation, extended élevage, and blending Chardonnay with Pinot Noir, while Margaine offers a deep look at the distinctive Chardonnay terroir of Villers-Marmery. Tasting the two side by side makes it possible to explore not only grape variety and terroir, but also how individual grower philosophy can shape the personality of Champagne.
