Billecart Salmon Champagne Tasting with Special Guest Pierre Chichportiche Friday, October 23rd 7:30 PM and all the Billecart Salmon Champagne in the store on SALE!!
The feeling of friendship is like that of being comfortably filled with roast beef; love, like being enlivened with champagne.
Samuel Johnson
Although we have a good selection of all the major champagne labels and one of my favorite statements to make about Champagne today is that "there is no BAD Champagne", there are a lot of great small producers’ wines now available in the U.S. One of the first smaller producers that we began touting in the store was Billecart-Salmon. I remember when Wine Watch was one of the only places in South Florida that you could find this brand!
We have hosted a dozen events with our friends at Champagne Billecart Salmon over the years so when I heard that Pierre Chichportiche was in town we immediately put a date on the calendar to host a tasting and this may be the best event we have ever hosted with this prestigious house with nine different wines including the 2008 Clos St Hiliare!
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $395 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Billecart Salmon Champagne Tasting
with Special Guest Pierre Chichportiche
Friday, October 23rd
7:30 PM
NV Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Magnum
2013 Billlecart Salmon Blanc de Blanc Cuvee Louis Salmon Brut Champagne NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne 2013 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rose Brut Champagne NV Billecart Salmon Le Reserve Brut Champagne, France 2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart Brut Champagne 2015 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart Brut Champagne NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne 2008 Billecart Salmon Clos Saint-Hilaire Brut Champagne
Menu
Shoestring potatoes with lemon gremolata
Caramelized Onion Dip with Italian Sturgeon Caviar with House Made Potato Crisps
Sea Scallop Carpaccio with Candied citrus segments and Lavender Aioli
Chicken Kiev with Champagne Béarnaise Sauce
Strawberry Shortcake
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $395 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A bit about Champagne Billecart Salmon:
Billecart-Salmon is presently one of France's top Champagne houses - a fact that one would never learn from reading books (where it gets bare mention except in Serena Sutcliffe's new book, Champagne) or from inquiring with wine merchants - many of whom have still not yet heard of it. This Champagne house is one of the great undiscovered properties in France; and this, my friend, is your little secret!...a least for the present. Billecart-Salmon has found a following in the United States among serious wine connoisseurs, and its Champagnes have been lavishly praised in the pages of respected wine publications such as The Underground Wine Journal and The Wine Advocate. The editor of the latter, Robert Parker, in his book Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide says: "One cannot say too many good things about this small house that produces wonderfully light, elegant yet flavorful champagnes. In every one of my tastings, Billecart has shown exceptionally well." We might add that this Champagne is a selection of the inimitable Robert Chadderdon of New York, a broker and importer. Chadderdon's fastidious reputation and obsession for quality is so renowned that a consumer may regard any wine labeled a "Robert Chadderdon Selection" as being accompanied by an ironclad guarantee of authenticity and quality.
Although the Billecarts resided in Champagne from the 16th century, it was not until 1818 that Nicolas-François of that family entered the Champagne business. The Salmon part of the name came from Francis' wife, the former Elizabeth Salmon. Within several years the firm gained an excellent reputation, and growth was very rapid. However, financial ineptness in the 1830's led to a decline in the business which the succeeding generations of the family were not able to correct. Charles Roland-Billecart assumed control of the firm in 1917 at what could not have been a worse time. The business was near financial ruin, World War I was being conducted in their very vineyards, and shortly after the war the world market for Champagne literally collapsed as the new Soviet Republic banned it as "bourgeois" and the nations of Western Europe were mired in the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever known. Nevertheless, Charles steadily increased the fortunes of the firm and made a crucial and, no doubt, emotionally painful decision in 1926 to sell the family vineyards in order to achieve further growth and put Billecart-Salmon on a solid financial footing. In retrospect it turned out to be a wise decision, and today Billecart-Salmon enjoys the success it once knew in its earliest days.
The fact that Billecart-Salmon is able to produce exceptional Champagne while relying on the favor of independent growers (the firm owns only a few vines of Pinot Noir at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ) is a tribute to the firm's commitment to quality and the obvious winemaking skills practiced there. So hardfast is the resolve of Billecart-Salmon to produce only the best that they cut their production in half from 1978 to 1982. The harvests of 1978, 1980, and 1982 were lean years; and Billecart-Salmon did not want to gamble on purchasing grapes from new suppliers with whom they were unfamiliar, so production was cut back from 600,000 bottles to 300,000 bottles. Production in 1986 was back up to 450,000 bottles with nearly half exported and the United States at the top of that list. The firm buys cuvées from as many as twenty-five different growths and performs the complex task of blending to achieve a delicate, fragrant house style that is loaded with flavor. The high percentage of black grapes in their cuvées belies the extraordinary lightness and delicacy for which Billecart-Salmon is noted. We have sometimes mistaken their wines for those of Taittinger - a firm which employs a heavy percentage of white grapes in their cuvées. Because there is a great deal of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in Billecart blends, the wines have a great depth of flavor and are also capable of longevity. Besides the non-vintage Brut, Billecart-Salmon is noted for its exquisite vintage-dated Blanc de Blancs (it is made from 100% Chardonnay and vineyards rated 99 to 100%). Billecart Salmon's tour de force, however, is the extraordinary non-vintage Rosé. We believe that this salmon-colored beauty is one of France's two or three best Rosé Champagnes. Rosé represents ten percent of Billecart's total production - an unusually high percentage for a Champagne house (although we believe that increasingly higher percentages are the future trend). Billecart-Salmon describes their special pink Champagne as the "blanc de blancs of rosés" - a perfect description of the Billecart style.
All the Champagne from Billecart Salmon in the store on SALE!!
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne 15 Liter Nebuchadnezzar
Price: $2781.00 Your Price: $2502.90
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne 6 Liter
Price: $1500.00 Your Price: $1350.00
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne 3 liter
Price: $390.00 Your Price: $351.00
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne Magnum
Price: $151.50 Your Price: $136.35
NV Billecart Salmon Le Reserve Brut Champagne
Price: $73.25 Your Price: $65.93 Quantity in Stock: 16
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne 375ml
Price: $46.25 Your Price: $41.63 Quantity in Stock: 9
The Brut Réserve is a light, fine and harmonious champagne. It is made up of a blend of 40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from three different years and sourced from the best sites in the Champagne region.
Reflections of straw yellow, fine slowly rising bubbles and persistent mousse. Intense with radiant freshness. Floral notes with fresh fruits highlighted by light biscuit aromas. Pure with delicate texture, fresh apple and crunchy pears.
The ideal partner for every occasion. It is perfect as an aperitif and can be enjoyed with a wide variety of dishes.
NV Champagne Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blancs GRAND CRU MAGNUM
Price: $220.50 Your Price: $198.45
This Chardonnay cuvee has been elaborated from the five grand cru vineyards of the Cote des Blancs: Avise, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. It is a blend of two different years revealing the qualities of the Chardonnay grape. It has a lovely gold color and a fine mousse of delicate bubbles accompanied by aromas of almonds, pears and apples. On the palate this wine has power and complexity with a fresh and elegant finish.
2013 Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blanc Cuvee Louis Salmon Brut Champagne
Price: $236.50 Your Price: $212.85 Quantity in Stock: 5
(97 Points) The 2013 Brut Blancs de Blancs Louis Salmon is an exceptional follow-up to the 2012. Naturally, the 2013 offers a bit more tension, cut and drive, all signatures of this late-ripening vintage. Chalk, slate, crushed rocks, citrus confit and hazelnut all race across the palate as the 2013 sizzles with tension from start to finish. This is still a baby. Give it time. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024. (AG) Vinous, Reviewed April 2025
2012 Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blanc Cuvee Louise Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $1050.00 Your Price: $945.00
2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs Champagne Magnum 1.5 Liter
Price: $605.00 Your Price: $544.50
(94 Points) Fresh and appealing, with a refined, lively mousse and good cut to the focused flavors of poached apricot and lemon pound cake that show accents of pickled ginger, vanilla and pastry cream. Long and harmonious, with a well-spiced finish. -Wine Spectator
2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $1125.00 Your Price: $1012.50
2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart Brut Champagne
Price: $261.75 Your Price: $235.58 Quantity in Stock: 5
This exceptional cuvée was created in 1964 as a tribute to the House's founder. It results from the blending of grands crus from the classified Côte des Blancs vineyards (Chardonnay) and the Montage de Reims (Pinot Noir). Its vinification, partially in traditional casks, underpins the generous character of this fine, elegant and rich wine. The perfect blend of grands crus from which it was made gives it a lovely freshness on the palate, developing a wide range of aromas
2008 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Brut Champagne Magnum 1.5 Liter
Price: $555.00 Your Price: $499.50
(97 Points) A blend of fruit from mainly Grand Cru vineyards, this beautiful Champagne is now fully mature. With toasty characters, touches of fresher fruit and taut acidity, the wine has a little spice from wood fermentation. It is a great Champagne ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast
1998 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $1269.50 Your Price: $1142.55
1998 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $936.00 Your Price: $842.40
This exceptional cuvee was created in 1964 as a tribute to the House's founder. It results from the blending of grands crus from the classified Côte des Blancs vineyards (Chardonnay) and the Montage de Reims (Pinot Noir). Its vinification, partially in tradtional casks, underpins the generous character of this fine, elegant and rich wine. The perfect blend of grands crus from which it was made gives it a lovely freshness on the palate, developing a wide range of aromas. Served at cellar temperature, this vintage will enhance the flavour of poultry or white meats. Packaged in an attractive silver presentation box this is an excellent gift idea for those who love first-class champagne.
NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $698.00 Your Price: $628.20 Quantity in Stock: 1
NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne MAGNUM
Price: $259.50 Your Price: $233.55 Quantity in Stock: 1
NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $102.00 Your Price: $91.80
(93 points) Pale yet intense pink in color the Billecart-Salmon NV Brut Rosé is pure, fresh and intense on the nose, with lovely raspberry aromas, refreshing citrus zest flavors and great definition. On the palate this is a pure, light and vinous rosé with great finesse and a long, well-structured and even juicy finish. This iconic rosé blends 40% Chardonnay with 30% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay and 30% Pinot Noir (with a small part added as red wine) from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne. Fabulous. Tasted from lot L 142B804 45564, which is based on the 2015 harvest and 40% reserve wines and was disgorged in February 2018. (SR) (12/2018) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2015 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Vintage, Champagne, France Magnum
Price: $306.00 Your Price: $275.40
2015 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Vintage, Champagne, France
Price: $143.25 Your Price: $128.93 Quantity in Stock: 10
A beautiful coppery pink hue with delicate salmon reflections. An intense aromatic burst of redcurrant and cherry in syrup, with hints of candied mandarin, coffee, and almond calisson, followed by refreshing notes of menthol and a touch of spice. A vibrant and juicy attack, unfolding with hints of pomelo and peach, stretching into mandarin juice notes that linger. The finish lifts with whispers of ginger, toasted almonds, and a touch of Sichuan pepper.
2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rose 3 Liter
Price: $1072.50 Your Price: $965.25
2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rose Brut Champagne Magnum 1.5 Liter
Price: $675.00 Your Price: $607.50 Quantity in Stock: 2
(95 Points) Sleek and elegant, with a seamless knit, this is finely textured, with the raw silk–like mousse carrying flavors of peach skin, white cherry and toast point that show hints of white blossoms, pickled ginger and oyster shell through the lasting finish. Wine Spectator
2009 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Le Clos St Hilaire
Price: $670.50 Your Price: $603.45
(95 Points) Sourced from a walled 0.97-hectare vineyard planted in 1964 and vinified entirely in oak, the 2009 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire remains true to its lineage, offering maturity and richness—more so than most other parcels in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Released ahead of the 2008 vintage and disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of two grams per liter, it unfurls from the glass with a deep, concentrated bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, dried apricot, toasted nuts and exotic spices mingling with orange zest. On the palate, it is full-bodied and concentrated, textural and multidimensional, exuding richness and a more muscular personality than any other wine in Billecart’s portfolio. Underpinned by succulent yet racy acidity—enhanced by blocked malolactic fermentation—it concludes with a long finish. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2007 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne le Clos St Hilaire
Price: $695.00 Your Price: $625.50 Quantity in Stock: 2
(95 Points) Disgorged in May 2023 with a dosage of two grams per liter, Billecart-Salmon’s 2007 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire continues to perform admirably. It unfurls in the glass with an expressive bouquet of pear, mirabelle plum and cherry, mingled with notes of lemon oil and a subtle accent of timut pepper. Medium- to full-bodied, elegantly muscular and vinous, the wine is both concentrated and ample, underpinned by incisive acidity. The palate culminates in a long, citrus-inflected finish that underscores the cuvée’s non-malolactic style. One should anticipate a profile more tightly knit than that of the warmer-vintage 2006 and 2009. As ever, it is sourced from a walled 0.97-hectare vineyard in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ that was planted in 1964, and it was vinified entirely in oak. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2005 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Le Clos St Hilaire
Price: $600.00 Your Price: $540.00
This unique Blanc de Noirs cuvée bears the name of the Patron Saint of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. This Clos of one hectare meets strict standards: a single, unbroken and enclosed plot with a complete vinification installation in situ. This single varietal of incredible typicity has all the qualities of an exceptional wine of great depth and singularity, to be kept for long-term aging.
NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne Magnum
Price: $247.50 Your Price: $222.75
NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne
Price: $117.00 Your Price: $105.30
(95 points) Fermented and aged briefly in wood, this is dry, intense and toasty while still giving space for white fruits and some citrus. Richly endowed, spicy, and tangy, its structure and tight texture mark it out as a Champagne for long-term aging. The aftertaste is brisk, packed with acidity and with reminiscences of the oak-aging in the vanilla finish. (RV) (12/2016) Wine Enthusiast
NV Champagne Billecart Salmon Demi Sec
Price: $69.75 Your Price: $62.78
The Demi-Sec has an identical blend to the Brut Réserve. It maintains the same finesse and elegance as this cuvée but with a greater dosage.
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