Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V.
This is the second in a four-part tasting series from a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne event led by Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja. Today I am commenting on two Champagnes; Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V. & Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V.
The family motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence”. This motto is evident at the family garden, which was redesigned in 1926 in a French style under the guidance of Charles Roland-Billecart. The idea of his project was to create a garden at the heart of the village, enclosed by walls surrounded by lime trees primed in to a canopy, with boxwood embroidery, lawns and flowerbeds. The garden was kept in this style until 1999, when a storm destroyed the remaining old trees, leaving only one chestnut tree soon to be 200 years old. Francois Roland-Billecart, therefore decided to enlarge his grandfather’s garden by adjoining the part of it that had stayed out of sight. He entrusted this project to his sister Véronique Roland-Billecart. From the foundation of the House of BILLECART-SALMON in 1818 until now, each generation has invested in the preservation of this garden.
Champagne is an elegant wine. When opening Champagne, one should try and not “bruise” the wine by making it “POP” which lets out too much gas prematurely, see prior post for detailed instruction on how to open a bottle of Champagne. Pouring the Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V. Champagne into a chilled glass (chilling the glass a bit with club soda and ice enhances the bubbles, but do not over chill the Champagne, I recommend between 45 to 50 degrees), I noticed a vivid pale yellow color, fine bubbles and detected ample fresh fruit, with pronounced citrus aromas. The palate revealed a very dry wine, (as I later learned that no sugar was added to the dosage, I will discuss dosage in my fourth Billecart post), with flavors of tart apples, lemons and pears, with a noticeable chalky mineral foundation. The term “biscuit” is sometimes used to describe the flavor, which this very dry wine had a biscuit flavor. The wine is comprised of 40% Pinot Meunier, with 35% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay, and aged for an additional year than the Brut Reserve. The finish was well balanced and medium+ in length, exhibiting high acidity.
Now pouring the Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V. I noticed a very golden yellow color, much deeper than the other Champagnes, with rolling bubbles. I noticed a distinctive yeasty nose with underlying rich stone fruits, with a touch of citrus aromas. This unique cuvée is entirely vinified in oak and comprised of the three authorized champagne grape varieties; Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The palate revealed a layered complexity with flavors of ripe pears, apples and lemons, rich and creamy. The wine was well balanced and integrated with lively acidity, toasty oak and minerality on the long smooth finish.
Cheers!