Billecart Salmon

Billecart-Salmon is a Champagne house located in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in northern France, founded in 1818 after the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier all feature in the house cuvée. The range is broad, encompassing a Brut Reserve and Rosé, Extra Brut, Demi-Sec, Brut Sous Bois, Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru and the Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart. The pinnacle of the collection is the vintage Le Clos Saint Hilaire, a blanc de noirs Champagne from vines planted in 1964.

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 grapes come from a single-hectare plot, which is isolated and enclosed within a wall of stone (or a clos). It is aged in small Burgundian barrels and no more than 7000 bottles are produced each year.

In the vineyard, Billecart-Salmon uses some biodynamic principles and eschews the use of pesticides and herbicides. Yields are kept low to increase the quality of the grapes. In the winery, the juice is racked twice – a practice that was revolutionary for Champagne when the house began doing it. 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.

Dosage is typically low, and if it is not needed in one particular year, it is simply not used. The wines age underground within the Billecart-Salmon limestone cellars in oak barrels, the oldest of which are reserved for the grand cru cuvées.