Vanessa

9.5

Prior notes continue to apply…

When we visited Billecart-Salmon in October of 2021, we received a tour of the stunning estate. Along the way, our guide, Jerome, paused near a traditional “Clos” (a single vineyard, enclosed by a wall) on the property. 

We could see a beautiful stone wall, surrounding a tiny 1 hectare parcel of “Clos Saint-Hilaire,” named after the Patron Saint & local church in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where Billecart-Salmon is located. 

Although we didn’t go into the Clos, we learned about how special this parcel is to the family; how it’s exclusively planted to Pinot Noir with vines dating back to 1964; how work in the vineyard is performed by hand and horse-drawn plows; how this parcel is farmed according to an age-old savoir-faire, adhering to principles of sustainable viticulture.

The wine is pale gold with a prominent bouquet of yellow apple, Anjou pear, raspberry, lemon curd, white peach, white blossom, desiccated white rose, wet stones, biscuit, brioche, almond paste, marzipan, crusty croissant, pie crust, toast, creamy texture and persistent, fine-beaded mousse and long elegant finish.

This is a 2005 “Blanc de Noirs” Champagne, comprised of 100% Pinot Noir, all coming from Le Clos Saint Hilaire, vinified entirely in oak casks to lend texture and body, and aged over 13 years sur lie prior to its recent release.  Due to the vineyard’s small size, production is very limited, and wine only produced in the best vintages.

Cheers to beautiful wines expressing a singularity of time and place!

Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint-Hilaire (2005).  — 5 months ago

with Deked1

Vanessa

9.2

Here we have the Benoit Lahaye ‘Blanc de Noirs’ – a non-vintage white bubbly made with 100% Pinot Noir, representing a blend of two parcels in Bouzy (Vaux-Bétins & Raies Tortues), each contributing a unique personality to the cuvée.

Harking back to more traditional winemaking methods, it was barrel-fermented naturally & bottled without filtration.

It has a pale gold hue w/ expressive aromas & flavors of baked red apple, cider, raspberry, fruit cake, lemon curd, cherry blossom, toast, clove, cinnamon, pastry, almond paste, and nougat next to chiseled mineral & wet stone notes.

With an ‘extra brut’ dosage (5g of sugar/L), this wine is bone dry, with a fine-beaded, creamy mousse, that is nicely balanced by a racy acidity. It has a kinetic energy & persistent finish. It’s absolutely delicious.

Who ever said you can’t sip bubbles on a Monday night?

I believe every day is worth celebrating in one form or another. Plus, this counts as studying for our WSG Champagne Masters class. Also, it’s Eiffel Tower Day!!

Cheers. — 9 months ago

with Deked1

Brent Young

9.0

Mature
Small tight bubbles
Dusty yellow fruit with almonds and some hints of cellar age on the nose

The taste is light fruit flavors of bruised apple and pear, lemon cream, and brioche. Not clearly BdN as I didn’t pick up any red fruits

This comes in an elegant, soft package with a bit of creamy texture. Age has softened this. Some would love the elegance but others might find it past it’s prime.  I preferred this with more intensity and focus but this is very pleasant to drink.
I found a couple of bottles hiding in my cellar. Ideally I would have checked in more frequently to follow it’s development. Many think grower champagnes are most odeal in the 3-8 year window of bottle age. When do you prefer them generally?
— 4 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.5

LOVE this stuff! Much better than the 2013. Has more body and richness. — 6 years ago

with Angelina

Ervin Susko Redzovic

9.8

Amazing and best recommendations — 6 years ago

Ming L

8.9

Blanc de Noirs Rosé with 92% PN and 8% Chard. Nice mix of strawberry, raspberry, light citrus, and touch of yeast. Soft generous palate with mellow mousses. Hint of cream soda which makes a bit too sweet for me.
Easy drinking and a crowd-pleaser. Remarkable price for the quality. — 5 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

The most giving vintage on release I’ve had of this wine. Showing beautifully. — 7 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.9

Amazing wine. For me its texture stood out most. Crystalline and pure silk with unbelievable mouthfeel, volume and tension, gaining weight with each pour and building as the night went on. This will be one of the greatest Champagne’s ever made in 10 years. — 8 months ago

Gilbert Van Hassel

9.5

Les ursules 2020 — 9 months ago

Spencer Dodd

9.0

A solid budget “Beauj”. This actually tastes like terroir and you can tell the winemaker is trying to not get too involved in the cellar unlike last nights moulin a vent. A lightness and tartness that is quite fun raspberry notes of fruit and a lot of acidity lead to a good drinking wine. Perhaps cherry notes in the middle? The finish isn’t huge but it does linger after swallowing. Actually the nose is quite pretty. Lilac notes? A flower. Highly recommended. The light tartness on the finish might a little much for some people. Maybe air will mellow it. Will buy again.
Edit: after 20 or 30 min of air the tart end integrates and the wine smoothed even more out. This probably deserves a higher rating than 9. Highly recommended — 2 years ago

Jordan Yu

9.5

Third rating for this: started at 10 degrees , and warmed up to around 15-18 in a warm 29 degrees tropical Singapore. Was fresh, crisp, lemon-like at first, followed by zesty mandarin orange flavours that finally matured to mellow honey apricots. Best of all coloured like the upcoming Chinese New Year - perfect gold. — 5 years ago

Anke Ge

9.0

easy drink — 6 years ago

Mike Evans

9.7

Stunning, bready with hints of lemon, great weight through the middle, incredible length. — 5 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

Deg. 040821 — 5 months ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nice nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing red fruits with light oak, licorice and chocolate notes.

Nice length on the finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a very tasty 5 year old GSM blend from Lirac. Nicely balanced and elegant, with mild complexity. The high alcohol is well integrated by now.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Aged in concrete tanks and 15% large French oak barrels.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$35. — 8 months ago

Mary H

9.2

Yeasty bread, ripe and slightly browned Fuji and honeycrisp apple, hint of pineapple. Crisp but not bracing, fine bubbles. — 2 years ago

C R

9.2

A beautiful blanc de noir — 4 years ago

Leah Weissburg

9.0

First wine I chose postpartum! So fresh, with a funky nose — 4 years ago

Zack Hall

9.3

Low pressure of course. Vinous. — 5 years ago

Pooneet K

8.9

A nice Beaujolais from a vintage that I don’t usually love compared to 2014/2016. Definitely better with an hour or so in a decanter to let the tannins integrate a bit more. Dark purple in the glass - darker than expected. Nice cherry aromas. Still could resolve a bit more on the finish but with a slight chill is nice. — 6 years ago