2008 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois
Billecart Salomon… could it possibly be true that everything they make is spectacular? We all know Billecart Salmon for its reference point, non-vintage Rosé, a wine anyone serious about Champagne has surely enjoyed (or should have)!
What you may not have experienced is their prestige cuvee, Nicolas Francois. Created in 1964 as a tribute to the house's founder, it’s a blend of 40% Chardonnay from the Grand Crus of the Cote des Blancs, and 60% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. Only produced in exceptional vintages, its aged 10+ years on its lees prior to disgorgement, with always a relatively low dosage, around 3g/l.
In the glass, the wine displays a very appealing pale yellow color, with fine elegant bubbles. The nose offers stonefruits, baked bread, red berry, hazelnut, with chalky minerality and hints of sea breeze - it really has it all! The signature of the 2008 vintage is on full display with the zingy acidity and lively mouth feel very much front and center. It's still very much a baby, but anyone that has tasted this knows there is depth and intensity that you can literally feel waiting to reveal itself - It's just a matter of time. That is if you can keep your hands off of it.
This is first rate in every sense of the word. You can’t own enough 2008 Champagne! If you missed this one the first time around, take advantage of this rare opportunity to re-load on one of the truly great Champagnes produced from this extraordinary vintage. This is the same incredible price we sold this over a year ago.
The 2008 Brut Cure Nicolas François Billecart is an electric, nervy Champagne that very much reflects the style of the year. Crushed rocks, mint, spice, dried herbs, hazelnut, lemon peel and marzipan are all beautifully laced together. The 2008 is just entering its first plateau of maturity, making it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next two decades, possibly more. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir (from Mareuil-sur-Ay, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay (from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant). It's a terrific effort, although I must add that a recent visit made it pretty clear that even better things lie ahead.
- Vinous Media, 96
The 2008 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François was disgorged during the third quarter of 2022 with less than three grams per liter. It has a delicate, pure, clean bouquet with aromas of orchard fruits, spring flowers, honey and licorice, with hints of brioche and pastry with aeration. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and crystalline, with racy acids and a chalky texture, the palate is tense and the finish is long, penetrating and salty. It exhibits perfect Billecart style, yet tension is present, a sign of the vintage. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir (sourced from Aÿ, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.
- Wine Advocate, 95
Based on the 2018 vintage, Billecart's new NV Brut Rosé incorporates 40% reserve wines and some 6% still red wine. Bursting with scents of sweet red berries, peonies, stone fruits, white cherries, freshly baked bread and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with a seamless and enveloping core of fruit and a lively, fine-boned profile.
- Wine Advocate, 91
