Product information

Billecart-Salmon ‘Elisabeth Salmon’ Brut Rosé 2008

Blend from Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Champagne, France

$412

$402ea in any 3+
$392ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork

Description

Created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, one of the House’s founders, this cuvée is set apart by its radiance, refined
purity as well as unique character. It embodies with subtlety the signature of our top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay terroirs.

Allowing time to play its role is behind the grandeur of this vintage cuvée.

The electrifying energy of 2008 charges Elisabeth Salmon with a dynamism and an endurance like never before. To capture such precision and such concentration of pure red cherry and raspberry fruit and yet at every instant to remain steadfast to the elegance and refinement that is Billecart is the profound juxtaposition that elevates 2008 to dizzying heights. Testimony to the depth of south-facing Mareuil pinot noir even in a season as cool as 2008, just 9% red wine is all that it takes to infuse a pretty, medium salmon hue that has taken on a copper tint in time. It confidently takes 13 years in its stride, revealed only in the most subtle nuances of vanilla and marzipan. With time in the glass, it billows to incredible heights of spice and even suggestions of fruit mince spice. A little fermentation in old oak barrels builds texture and integration more than it does a subtle nuance of jamon. Partial malolactic fermentation in a season with malic acidity as pronounced as 2008 is a nail-biting affair, perfectly played by chef de cave Florent Nys. Radiant acidity spirals with minerality as fine as ground glass to build a shimmering jetstream that slices through a finish of endless blue daylight. It is dashing from the outset, yet possesses decades of potential coiled into its graceful yet commanding folds. 

Tyson Stelzer, 98 points 

In stock

Check out all of the wines by Billecart-Salmon

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

76% Grands crus and 24% Premiers crus.
55% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne.
45% Chardonnay from the Côtes des Blancs.
9% of the Pinot Noir is vinified as red wine with grapes from Valofroy,
a parcel of old vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ with a full southern exposure.
17% of the wine is fermented and matured in 15 year old oak barrels.
Dosage: 7 g/l

About Billecart-Salmon

It all started here in 1818 when Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon were married, marking the creation of their Champagne House. This has been a family story since the beginning with Louis Salmon, brother of Elisabeth and a passionate oenologist, getting involved in the creation of the wines.

Thus, over 7 generations, each member of the family has endeavoured to continue the family tradition, staying faithful to the same motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence”.

Billecart-Salmon is discreetly but significantly evolving. Since 2010, a new cellar has housed some 400 barrels for vinification and élevage, and since 2018, another cellar is home to oak foudres retaining some 80,000 liters of reserve wine. Meanwhile, Billecart’s wines are spending longer and longer sur lattes, and fruit sourcing is changing—with more grand cru fruit replacing premier cru fruit—while volumes remain the same. Based on the trials underway in their emblematic Clos Saint-Hilaire, the next frontier will be the vineyards. This visit and tasting with Mathieu Roland-Billecart and chef des caves Florent Nys underscored the impact of these quiet but important changes, and it’s clear that this is a house that’s going from strength to strength. I’ll be reporting on Billecart-Salmon in greater depth in the future, but for now, all these recent releases come warmly recommended.

William Kelley

In the Winery

As part of the ever present quest to maintain the quality of their champagnes, in the fifties, the House established the technique of cold settling combined with the use of stainless steel tanks for a longer fermentation at a lower temperature. The cuverie concentrates primarily on small thermoregulated cuves (47 hectolitres) which allows the House to observe the traceability of the grape varieties and the individual parcels. This vinification is carried out cru by cru and grape variety by grape variety which allows for the conservation of the nuances of expression of the terroir. In vinifying at a low temperature, the fermentation process slows down, encouraging ethereal aromas, which are delicate and allow all the purity of the fruit to be expressed. It is the absolute signature of the Billecart-Salmon style.

More than 400 small and 24 large oak casks respectively occupy the two chais at the House.

Each oak cask has been meticulously chosen and shaped in order to reveal all the richness and aromatic complexity of the wines. Remaining faithful to its style and expertise, the House vinifies at a low temperature to keep all the characteristic freshness and elegance of its champagnes.  With a view to a consistent traceability, each parcel is individually vinified. This knowledge and ancestral method of vinification is combined with vinification in stainless steel tanks to exalt all the elegance of the Billecart style.

The chalk cellars date from 17th and 19th centuries and stand guard over the House’s precious cargo. Over time, the wines assert themselves and the aromas develop, imprinted with all the finesse, balance and elegance which are characteristic of the personality of the House’s champagnes.

Over three to four years in cellars the non-vintage champagnes really blossom, staying around twice as long as the fixed regulations of the appellation. The vintage cuvées patiently wait ten years before they begin to reveal their maturity. Allowing time to play its role is behind the grandeur of Billecart-Salmon champagnes.

In the Vineyard

The champagnes of Maison Billecart-Salmon are above all created thanks to the knowledge of the men who rigorously cultivate an estate of 100 hectares, obtaining grapes from an area totalling 300 hectares across 40 crus of the Champagne region.

The majority of the grapes used for vinification come from a radius of 20km around Epernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the ethereal vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.

Where in the World is Billecart-Salmon?

The majority of the grapes used for vinification come from a radius of 20km around Epernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the ethereal vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.

The map below shows the main sub-regions of Champagne

Click to enlarge🔎

From left to right Champagne vineyards by Soil Type, Aspect and Dominant Varietal

Click on a map to enlarge🔎

Soil Types
Vineyard Aspect
Map showing dominant varieties planted in Champagne

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Billecart Salmon, Rue Carnot, Aÿ-Champagne, France

Montagne de Reims
Vallée de la Marne
Côte des Blancs
Champagne
France

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