FINALLY this bottle arrived from France. I waited months to place it in the champagne club. Back last Fall we knew we wanted it after attending a lovely tasting featuring all Billecart – Salmon cuvées paired with delicious dishes at a restaurant downtown called Waterboy.
Whats going on in the import world?! Everything from France is delayed …
The shortage of doc workers in the bay has meant that we have had to wait, and wait, and wait for this bottle
Have you had Billecart-Salmon champagne before? Maybe you’ve had their glorious rosé? I’m sure you have seen it on restaurant wine list menus – especially fine dining ones.
Founded in 1818 by Nicolas Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, the estate is now managed by the seventh generation of the family, brothers François and Antoine Roland-Billecart. The house operates on the philosophy that an early harvest yields more elegant, delicate champagnes and continues to produce in this structure-driven style that has made them one of the most iconic champagnes of our time!
When the time comes to blend the cuvées, every morning at the cave of Maison Billecart-Salmon a team of family members and employees assemble for a blind tasting. Each wine is analyzed, voted on, and then assigned to an appropriate cuvée.
This painstaking process (tasting vin clair is no picnic) is done with every single wine in the cellar, multiple times over. It guarantees exceptional quality, consistent style, and ensures Billecart remains one of Champagne’s greatest houses. In top vintages all that hard work ensures that the vintage wine is a perfect reflection of everything that year has to offer.
Tasting Notes – A radiant yellow crystalline appearance with golden glints brought to life by a luminous stream of persistent, fine bubbles. There is a rich olfactory impact which is harmoniously expressed (dried fruits, fresh citrus and white flesh fruits) and coupled with finely buttered seductive notes. A burst of flavours (notes of grilled brioche and toffee) thanks to the distinguished power and maturity which is a mark of any great wine of Champagne.
“Fermented and aged briefly in wood, this is dry, intense and toasty while still giving space for white fruits and some citrus. Richly endowed, spicy, and tangy, its structure and tight texture mark it out as a Champagne for long-term aging. The aftertaste is brisk, packed with acidity and with reminiscences of the oak-aging in the vanilla finish. Drink this bottling from 2018.” 95 point (Wine Enthusiast)
Cheers Everyone! Happy Summer …
❤️