Winemaker Notes
The magic of the terroir, along with age-old skill, results in a sublime golden yellow hue, enhanced by intensely brilliant glints. The elegant effervescence of the finest bubbles is mellowed by the patina of meticulous aging. Noble, pedigree expression, intensely sensual with the olfactory impact of great elegant complexity (malted cereals, freshly baked pastries, and tangerine flesh). The resonance of a sparkling concentration, showcasing a ripe and intense fruit (roasted coffee beans, toasted bread, vanilla pod and light tobacco). A full-bodied with subtle exotic notes of honeyed citrus zest (chocolate-coated orange peel, licorice stick, and cedarwood), on a bed of many-layered flavors (blueberry jelly, apricotin and lemon liqueur). The wine is borne upon a charm at once bewitching and expressive, in which its generosity carries the finish towards a deliciously mineral chalkiness.
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Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This Champagne is wonderfully rich on the nose, seducing with aromas of delicious yellow nectarines, sourdough, applesauce, white flowers and raspberries, alongside toast, tobacco and a hint of white truffles. It’s layered and generous with very fine, very soft bubbles. Already approachable, yet with subtle power and bright acidity to age for a long time. Fantastic length. Pinot noir from an enclosed, 1-hectare parcel of vines in Mareuil-sur-Ay planted in 1964. No malolactic. Over 13 years on the lees. 2 g/L dosage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Billecart-Salmon’s 2009 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire, disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of two grams per liter, is showing even more impressively than it did when I tasted it with only a year on cork after disgorgement. The bouquet is deep and expressive, revealing notes of dried apricot, pear, blanched almond and orange oil, mingled with cherry plum and a touch of Madagascar vanilla. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied and rich yet incisive, its amplitude deftly counterbalanced by racy acidity before culminating in a persistent, citrus-tinged finish that underscores the wine’s fresh, tight-knit profile—enhance by its non-malolactic style.
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.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’