Founded in 1818, Billecart-Salmon is an iconic Champagne house and one of very few producers of its scale to remain family-owned. Currently, Billecart practices biodynamic viticulture with no herbicides or pesticides, and low yields to ensure quality.
Billecart-Salmon is one of the sub’s favorites, although it’s often their rosés that get attention. This ‘Nicolas Francois’ isn’t one of them, but it is perhaps the house’s flagship vintage cuvee and its 1959 vintage was named “Champagne of the Millennium” by a panel of experts in 1999.
2012 is a celebrated Champagne vintage (one of the top 3 so far this century), and this bottle is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. It was aged on its lees for 10 years before release, and dosage is low at 3.8 g/L.
**Tasting Notes:** medium gold color with very lazy, very fine bubbles. Intense, rich nose of ripe red apple, fresh lemon, brioche, and roasted nuts. Palate is dry, medium bodied, highly acidic, and nicely balanced, with flavors matching the nose but perhaps a bit less intense. Long, crisp finish, but not as complex as I hoped/expected. Overall, a delicious sparkler that benefits from pairing with food (I had it with some bread and salty butter). Likely one that will get better as it develops complexity in-bottle.
Blackdiced
Such good champagne. One of my all-time favorites
vaalyr
I think as far as maisons go Billecart is as good as it gets, especially the higher end cuvées, well aged bottles of NF are spectacular.
3 Comments
Founded in 1818, Billecart-Salmon is an iconic Champagne house and one of very few producers of its scale to remain family-owned. Currently, Billecart practices biodynamic viticulture with no herbicides or pesticides, and low yields to ensure quality.
Billecart-Salmon is one of the sub’s favorites, although it’s often their rosés that get attention. This ‘Nicolas Francois’ isn’t one of them, but it is perhaps the house’s flagship vintage cuvee and its 1959 vintage was named “Champagne of the Millennium” by a panel of experts in 1999.
2012 is a celebrated Champagne vintage (one of the top 3 so far this century), and this bottle is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. It was aged on its lees for 10 years before release, and dosage is low at 3.8 g/L.
**Tasting Notes:** medium gold color with very lazy, very fine bubbles. Intense, rich nose of ripe red apple, fresh lemon, brioche, and roasted nuts. Palate is dry, medium bodied, highly acidic, and nicely balanced, with flavors matching the nose but perhaps a bit less intense. Long, crisp finish, but not as complex as I hoped/expected. Overall, a delicious sparkler that benefits from pairing with food (I had it with some bread and salty butter). Likely one that will get better as it develops complexity in-bottle.
Such good champagne. One of my all-time favorites
I think as far as maisons go Billecart is as good as it gets, especially the higher end cuvées, well aged bottles of NF are spectacular.