A Champagne house with a great history, Champagne Billecart-Salmon controls estate of 100 hectares, obtaining grapes from an area totalling 300 hectares across 40 crus of the Champagne region. The majority of the grapes used for vinification come from a radius of 20km around Epernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. Now a journey spanning seven generations, the house was formed with the marriage of 1818 when Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818. This remains a family winery since the beginning with Louis Salmon, brother of Elisabeth and a passionate oenologist, getting involved in the creation of the wines.
In 1964 their tete de cuvee, ‘Cuvee Nicolas Francois’ was crafted to serve as an homage to their founder. The house has received considerable critical acclaim over the years, not only for their top wines, including the Clos Saint-Hilaire cuvée, first created with the 1995 vintage, but their Rose and vintage champagnes in particular. On the west coast of the United States, their Rose champagne is particularly one of the most popular champagnes that you will find in bars and restaurants.
Last year I interviewed their export manager and I recently had the chance to try the beautiful new wines by Billecart-Salmon and was very impressed by the level of freshness, poise and mouthfeel with each of the wines. Simply marvelous right now, coming from a warm vintage the 2009 Billecart-Salmon ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne (OB, 93) is vibrant and dense with a gorgeous sense of mousse and texture. Even better and completely different in style, coming from a much cooler vintage, the 2007 Billecart-Salmon ‘Cuvee Nicolas Francois’ Champagne (OB, 95) quite simply exudes class with its finesse and flavor range. This beautiful wine is truly one of the great wines made this vintage. Learn more about this inspired champagne house at https://www.champagne-billecart.fr Here are the beautiful new Champagnes by Billecart-Salmon.
NV Billecart-Salmon ‘Brut Nature’ Champagne- This zero dosage bottling shows sourdough bread with Japanese pear, walnut and shades of marzipan on the nose. The freshness and finesse here is seriously good. Minerals and wet stone collide with starfruit, Gravenstein apple and lemon zest tones. Gorgeous in its youth, this will provide drinking enjoyment over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2021-2029- 92
2009 Billecart-Salmon ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne- The 2009 Billecart-Salmon ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne is a beautiful blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 27% Pinot Meunier. Showing off its golden hue this shows off rich nectarine with buttered bread and Macadamia nut on the nose. The palate is plush, showing a seamless texture and wonderful length. Layers of orchard fruits mingle with lemon curd, vanilla bean and white ginger on the palate. Fresh and vibrant, with a rich texture, this warm vintage Champagne is drinking beautifully now and has at least another decade of life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2007 Billecart-Salmon ‘Cuvee Nicholas Francois’ Brut Champagne- Taken from a cooler vintage in Chamapgne, this very late release Champagne is one of the best that I have tasted from this vintage. At the fourteen year mark this wine is remarkably youthful. Aged on the lees for ten years and given 6G/L dosage, this is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay sourced from mainly grand cru vineyards. Toasty brioche tones meld with kumquat zest, baking spices and Marcona almond with white florals that all meld in the glass. The palate is fresh and shows racy acidity, with a seamless texture. Layers of Japanese pear, lemon zest and shades of Meyer lemon oil and toasted almond dusted biscuit all come together marvelously. This is seriously good stuff that has a long way to go in the cellar. Drink 2021-2038- 95