94pts Wine Enthusiast
From Grand Cru villages on the Côte des Blancs, this Champagne is beautifully mineral and taut. It has white fruits and intense citrus giving texture and crispness. This is a fine wine, ready to drink.
93pts Wine Advocate
Based on the 2015 vintage and dominated this year by Mesnil sur Oger, Billecart's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru was disgorged in July 2021 with seven grams per liter dosage. Exhibiting aromas of citrus oil, tart stone fruit, freshly baked bread and white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and layered, its sweet core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky structure.
93pts James Suckling
A full-bodied sparkling with sliced cooked pears and apples. Dusty chalk and some mineral and stone undertones. Full-bodied with firmness and tightness at the end. Linear and compact on the palate. Tangy finish. Drink or hold.
93pts Jeb Dunnuck
The current release of the NV Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut is based on the 2015 vintage and pours a pale straw color. The nose is clean and pure, with a sun-kissed ripeness, and reveals fresh aromatics of candied green apple, lime, and bread dough. The mousse is elegant, and the wine is ripe, with a rounded feel, and fresh with ripe green apple, lemon-lime, and chalk, followed by a balanced and fairly long finish. It is straightforward, approachable, and classic.
Winemaker Notes
The fine mousse of delicate bubbles elegantly accompanies the glints of its gold color. A cuvée that will surprise you with its pure intensity of dry fruits aromas, almonds and fresh hazelnuts mixed with those of fruits of white flesh. The creamy sensation of the bubble associated to aromas of buttered brioche and mineral aromas. Persistent finish with a fresh and elegant sweetness.
This great bottle will make a perfect marriage with caviar or fine oysters but also with grilled fish and seafood.
History
Oldest continuously family-owned House, Billecart-Salmon was founded in 1818 by the marriage of Nicolas Francois Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. For over two hundred years, the House has developed a renowned expertise in crafting fine, elegant and balanced Champagnes.
Billecart-Salmon was first and foremost the result a union between Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon who, in 1818 and just married, founded their own Champagne House in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, a small village near Epernay. At their side was Louis Salmon, Elisabeth’s brother and a passionate oenologist who, from the very beginning, dedicated himself to the development of the wines. From then on, their heirs have never stopped aiming for excellence in winemaking. Today led by seventh generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart, each family member has endeavored to pursue the family tradition and stay faithful to the same motto: "give priority to quality, strive for excellence."
Billecart-Salmon rigorously cultivates an estate of 100 hectares, sourcing grapes from an area totaling 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.
As part of the quest to increase the quality of their champagnes, in the 1950s, the House introduced the technique of cold settling combined with the use of stainless steel tanks for a longer fermentation at a lower temperature. Vinification occurs primarily on small thermoregulated tanks which allows the House to vinify parcels separately, preserving nuances of expression of "terroir". Low temperature fermentation slows down the process, encouraging aromas to delicately develop and allow the purity of the fruit to be fully expressed; absolute signature of the Billecart-Salmon style: finesse, elegance and balance.
Over three years of ageing on lees in the chalk cellars for the non-vintage cuvees and over ten year for the prestige vintage cuvees, the family allows their wines to blossom. Giving the luxury of time to play its role is also behind the grandeur of Billecart-Salmon champagnes.
