Billecart Salmon Champagne Tasting With Special Guest Pierre Chichportiche

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 and today not much has changed!

Champagne is a very competitive wine producing region and the standards here are very high across the board, but if there is one Champagne house that would be on the short list of every major Champagne critic on the planet today- Billecart-Salmon would be one of the first names that comes to my mind.

So, I was delighted to hear Pierre Chichportiche will be here to co-host this event with me.  We will be showcasing one of the newest creations the Rendez Vous Champagne from Billecart Salmon and you will be the first Champagne lovers in South Florida to taste these new creations.  We will also be tasting the tete de cuvee  Saint Hilaire which is worth the price of admission alone but we will have seven different cuvees from Billecart Salmon on the table tonight!

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $350 + 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 dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

Billecart Salmon Champagne Tasting
With Special Guest Pierre Chichportiche
Thursday, January 25th
7:30pm

NV Billecart Salmon Blanc De Blancs Brut Champagne Grand Cru
2009 Billecart Salmon Blanc De Blanc Cuvee Louis Salmon Brut Champagne
2015 Billecart Salmon "Le Rendez-Vous #4" Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut Champagne
2015 Billecart Salmon "Le Rendez-Vous #4" Blanc De Noirs Extra Brut Champagne
2008 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francios Billecart Brut Champagne
NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne
2005 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Cuvee St Hilaire

Menu
Truffle Parmesan Shoestring Fries
Duck Trap Smoked Salmon Served over Mashed Potato Cakes with American Sturgeon Caviar
Pork Belly Tacos with Sauerkraut and Orange Honey BBQ
Fried Chicken Stuffed with Foie Gras Mousse served with Bernaise Sauce
Strawberry shortcake

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $350 + 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 dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

A bit about Billecart Salmon Champagne:

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 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 our 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.

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.  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 Billecart Salmon Champagne that we have in the store on SALE!!

NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne Magnum
Price: $135.00    Your Price: $118.80    Quantity in Stock: 1
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne, France
Price: $63.00    Your Price: $55.44    Quantity in Stock: 12

The grapes used are 40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay sourced from specially selected vineyards in the department of the Marne.

The Billecart Brut Reserve is round harmonious and balanced Champagne. The blend for this Cuvee has remained unchanged since 1945, the blend is created from three different vintages, Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay from the best sites of the Marne.

NV Champagne Billecart Salmon RENDEVOUS 3 EXTRA BRUT
Price: $101.25    Your Price: $89.10

Our third stop takes in the three historic terroirs of Leuvrigny, Damery and Venteuil, where the Pinot Meunier varietal gives wine from this region its distinctive identity. A careful selection process based on the purity of the fruit and the balance of flavours in order to define a style even closer to low dosage.

NV Champagne Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blancs MAGNUM
Price: $220.50    Your Price: $194.04
NV Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne Grand Cru
Price: $95.00    Your Price: $83.60

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.

NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $525.00    Your Price: $462.00    Quantity in Stock: 1

NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne MAGNUM
Price: $247.50        Your Price: $217.80    Quantity in Stock: 8

NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $97.50        Your Price: $85.80    Quantity in Stock: 33

(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

2010 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Vintage, Champagne, France Magnum
Price: $230.00    Your Price: $202.40
2010 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Vintage, Champagne, France
Price: $128.50    Your Price: $113.08    Quantity in Stock: 4

NV BILLECART SALMON BRUT NATURE CHAMPAGNE
Price: $65.25    Your Price: $57.42

The innovative style of this cuvée remains loyal to the discreet and balanced charm of the three Champenois grape varieties. No sugar has been added to the dosage.

2016 Champagne Billecart Salmon Extra Brut Magnum
Price: $243.00    Your Price: $213.84
2016 Billecart Salmon Extra Brut Champagne
Price: $121.50    Your Price: $106.92

An ideal blend allowing the personality of the Champagne region’s great Pinot Noirs to dominate, combined with the elegance and subtlety of Chardonnays and that signature touch of Pinot Meunier. The yellow color has soft golden undertones, naturally enhanced by a fine, dynamic effervescence. A shining, very radiant effect that brings out the full potential of nine years of maturation in our ancestral chalk cellars. The delicious intensity of precise fruit with citrusy and nutty notes (grapefruit pulp, slivered almonds). A nuanced sensory development built around pastry scents (raw butter, white fruit jelly). A masterful aromatic expression with a refined, refreshing purity. A nervy, charming, tactile delight (chestnut cream, fresh blueberries, and shortbread), emphasized by a delicate texture. The wine rises to a distinguished complexity with a persistent finale, crisply structured by the high-quality potential of such a sought-after vintage. A deeply sculpted vintage with a noble, exquisitely distinctive character.

Enjoy to the fullest with red tuna, papaya, and avocado, or with pan-fried foie gras, peaches, verbena, rhubarb, and verjuice (prematurely harvested grape juice).

Blend: 40% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 27% Pinot Meunier

NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne Magnum
Price: $210.00    Your Price: $184.80
NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne
Price: $99.00    Your Price: $87.12

(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

2008 Champagne Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart MAGNUM
Price: $405.00    Your Price: $356.40    Quantity in Stock: 1

2008 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francios Billecart Brut Champagne
Price: $202.50    Your Price: $178.20

(98 points) "Based on 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, with 17% raised in barrels, the 2008 Champagne Nicolas François spent more than 150 months on its lees, with 2.9 grams per liter dosage. It pours a rich straw hue and is layered and long with aromas of truffle, apricot, croissant, floral orange blossoms, and marmalade. Full-bodied, it’s supple in texture, with a rounded mousse, and has a long-lasting, mouthwatering finish. Exceptionally well-balanced, it comes together seamlessly on the finish. This will be a wine to enjoy over the next three decades. (AF)" (11/2023) Jeb Dunnuck

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 Blanc de Blanc Cuvee Louis Salmon Brut Champagne
Price: $210.00    Your Price: $184.80    Quantity in Stock: 1

(98 points) "A ripe and intense style, showing energy and vibrancy. Flinty, slightly earthy aromas that are more suggestive of long ageing in bottle. Sublime balance between salivating acidity, coy sweetness and richness. A reference for delicacy and refinement." (11/2022) Decanter

2009 BILLECART SALMON BLANC DE BLANC CUVEE LOUIS SALMON BRUT CHAMPAGNE
Price: $213.75    Your Price: $188.10

(95 Points) Disgorged during the second quarter of 2022 with a dosage of 3.75 grams per liter, the 2009 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Louis Salmon reveals aromas of pear, lemon oil, mandarin oil, white pepper, pastry and almonds. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and long, it has a crystalline yet vinous texture with a fresh, salty finish. It is a quintessential representation of Billecart's style, characterized by racy acids and a lively palate. It derives from Chardonnay grapes sourced from the villages of Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly and Cramant and was aged exclusively in steel tanks.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2008 BILLECART SALMON CUVEE ELISABETH SALMON BRUT ROSE MAGNUM
Price: $557.00    Your Price: $490.16    Quantity in Stock: 2

(98 points) "A superb vintage of this renowned prestige cuvée, this is made from a base of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, to which is added 9% of red wine. Despite ageing on its lees for 10 years, it remains almost shockingly youthful, its vividly primary flavours of red cherry, strawberry and nectarine wrapped up in a taut, tense frame. It’s silky in texture and intricately complex on the long, elegantly harmonious finish, underlined by a saline chalkiness, and it demonstrates all the requisite completeness and character for long ageing, promising a slow and dignified evolution to come. (PL)" (5/2021) Decanter

2006 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Cuvee St Hilaire
Price: $600.00    Your Price: $528.00

2005 BILLECART SALMON BRUT CHAMPAGNE CUVEE ST HILAIRE
Price: $562.50       Your Price: $495.00

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 Champagne Billecart Salmon Demi Sec
Price: $65.75    Your Price: $57.86    Quantity in Stock: 6

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.