Champagne Billecart-Salmon is one of my favorite champagnes across the board. The family-owned winery makes champagnes that are very vinous and dry, reminding me that a great champagne must first be a great wine. In fact, owner Antoine Roland-Billecart says that maintaining “wine character” is key to the greatness of his champagnes. “Everything is in the grape,” he says.
His family owns about 100 hectares of vineyards in all the best appellations. Acidity in the base wines is kept in balance to assure fineness and elegance. Champagne Billecart-Salmon might be best known for its consistently oustanding Rosé but its Brut Reserve is a revelation, consistently showing an amazing depth of character due to the extended cellar ageing before disgorging, as well as the refreshing, vivid Blanc de Blancs.
A relatively new champagne is the Sous Bois, which was poured at our Great Wines of the World event held in Hong Kong last year. It’s fermented and aged in old oak before secondary fermentation in bottle, giving it more structure.
Below are my top five selections from Champagne Billecart-Salmon. All the wines are rated above 90 points and there’s even one that was given 97 points; Click for tasting notes and scores:
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut 2006
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs 2004
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve
