France · Champagne

Billecart-Salmon

Billecart-Salmon is among the most consistent and quality-focused of the independent Champagne houses, still owned and managed by the Billecart family after nearly 200 years since Nicolas François Billecart and his wife Elisabeth Salmon founded the house in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in 1818. The house is known primarily for its rosé Champagne — widely considered one of the finest in the category — and for its commitment to extended lees ageing and low-dosage winemaking that gives its wines exceptional freshness and longevity. The house farms 100 hectares of estate vineyards and sources from an additional network of growers, with particular strength in the Vallée de la Marne. The Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart, the prestige vintage blanc, is produced from Grand Cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and released only after a minimum of 8 years on lees — a commitment to extended ageing unusual even for prestige cuvées. The Clos Saint-Hilaire, a mono-parcel Blanc de Noirs from a 0.61-hectare walled vineyard in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, is the house's rarest and most prized wine, produced only in exceptional years. Billecart-Salmon's rosé is produced using a distinctive method: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir base wines are blended with a small proportion of red wine from Pinot Noir (rather than saignée maceration), giving the wine its characteristic pale onion-skin colour and extraordinary delicacy.