Vanessa

9.4

Today we began with a visit to Billecart-Salmon, which has been family owned since 1818. They are 7 generations strong, producing between 2 and 2.5 million bottles per year. We received our informative tour from Jérôme Lafouge. 👏

He explained how Billecart-Salmon grows and manages many of the vines used to produce their wines; they also source grapes 🍇 from other growers, but otherwise own the production process from the pressing of the grapes on… the facilities are pristine and processes are executed meticulously.

Each wine is vinified by vineyard plot. A unique feature of Billecart-Salmon is its decision to have a slow, cool fermentation process for all of its wine - both those vinified in barrels and those in stainless steel tanks - a process that takes 6 weeks to complete.

Each winemaking decision is customized based upon the type and condition of the grapes, e.g., some undergo a malolactic fermentation (where tart malic acid is converted to soft, lactic acid) while others may not, some have a first fermentation in oak where as some are stainless steel, etc.

At the end of our tour we had the pleasure to taste a few beautiful wines (pictured here).

Our favorite was the 2002 Vintage Cuvée Nicolas François comprised of 60% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-Sur-Aÿ, Aÿ, Ambonnay, and Verzenay and 40% Chardonnay from Chouilly, Cramant, and Avize.

This wine was clearly developing lovely tertiary aromas. It also had great complexity retaining its primary and secondary notes. It was disgorged January of 2016, resting over a decade on the lees.

The aromas and palate had caramel, toffee, brioche, pie crust, toast, hazelnut, cream, melted butter, honey, ginger, candied lemon peel, quince, fig, and chamomile notes.

What an enjoyable experience and we loved meeting some new friends on the tour from Savannah, Georgia and Canada.

Santé mes amis 🥂🥂🥂 — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 2004 Cristal is superb today. Bright and focused, the 2004 shows all of the tension and energy that has always been one of its signatures. The first hints of aromatic maturity are starting to develop, but the 2004 remains quite young and full of energy. I have always admired the 2004 (along with the best wines of the vintage) for its focus. In this bottle, the interplay of freshness from the recent 2018 disgorgement and richness gained through added time on the lees (which also results in lower dosage of 7 grams per liter) opens another window into the personality of Cristal. In 2004, the Pinot Noir is 57%, or a bit lower than normal, while the Chardonnay at 43% is correspondingly a touch higher. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago

Stas Medvedev

8.9

🏅 Rating 87+/100 (3,75🌟)

Persistent mousse. Nose of bruised apples, peach and some other stone fruits. Not enough acidity to reach a perfect balance.

One of the most famous Cava. Grower crafted Spanish bubbly. Family owned. Single vineyard. Biodynamic cultivation. 7 years aged on lees. Brut Nature with zero dosage. Blend 75/25: Xarel.lo/Macabeu.

It has everything that you can think of to please wine enthusiasts, but imho it is still light years away from Champagne. Good on its own, but I choose Champ. — 7 years ago

Rebecca Burgess

10

Oh my fuckin ghod!!!!! Caramel & smoke. Unbelievable!

— 8 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.1

Age your Muscadet, people. I mean, absolutely drink it young (the '15 is stellar), but lose a few in the back of your cellar. While this isn't as zippy as it once was, it's gained layers of complexity as the citrus gets more honeyed and burnished, and the lees character becomes somehow both more forward and more integrated. Worth contemplating. I think I paid $11? — 8 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.2

8 years on lees. Disgorged in July 2014. Golden in color. Toasted brioche, a bit of a nutty finish. Crisp. These should be consumed in the next couple of years, at least for my palate. Enjoyed with lobster risotto. — 4 years ago

Erik Sjolund

9.8

Pretty much what I expect from aged champs on lees. Lots o autolysis, mushroom n some cellar. Little mineral n yellow apple. Not at peak yet still bery tasty. Didn’t win from a day in fridge... — 5 years ago

Jeff Hasmann

9.3

Iconic spring season champagne. There are many reasons everyone loves this stuff - Grand Cru fruit, 36 months on lees, Billecart’s unique vinification process - but the best reason is that it is just so darn delicious. Tonight, the bouquet was intense and very much like a Chablis Grand Cru. Upon pouring into the glass, one notices the fine, elegant mousse rising from the bottom. Then the first sip - strawberries and pear with undertones of nuanced brioche and yeast. The style here is elegant and finessed. Beautiful juice! Tonight’s bottle disgorged in May, 2018. 50/30/20 chard/PN/PM, 9g/l dosage, 40% reserve wine. You will be hard pressed to find a better bottle of champagne in the $75-$90 price range. Well done! NV on May 8, 2020 — 5 years ago

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.7

Amazingly rich, bread dough, toasted almonds. Just about as rich as great Champagne can get. Complex, creamy and lasts forever. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. 6 years on lees; 6 g/L dosage — 7 years ago

Peter Zandbergen

9.4

Base years 2000. 16 years on lees — 7 years ago

Kaito Kikuchi

9.5

Like liquid raisin, very good. — 7 years ago

Gina Puente

9.4

@Herbsaint, acid & buttery are calibrated deftly by 10 yrs on lees. Excited how it will pair w meal — 8 years ago

Jiga Hitorn

9.5

Crazy good. On lees for 30 months!!! Biscuity wonder — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Disgorged 2018 after 84 months on the lees.

This is Egly-Ouriet’s late disgorged offering, and it’s another scintillating champagne that seals my opinion that they are my favorite producer across all offerings. The texture, complexity and character of these champagnes check off every box for me. I’m always chasing Jacques Selosse, and while that’s a goal that will never be achieved (because Selosse champagnes have no equal), this is the closest I’ve come to in regards to style and complexity. Surprisingly, this only has one extra year on the lees compared to their Les Crayeres offering (my favorite), and it’s much more vinous. The aromatics here are ripe, rich and slightly oxidized golden delicious apple, pear, honeyed apricot, orange blossom, and almond croissant. Very fine mousse, to where this almost goes more old white burgundy in style, but still retaining sharp acidity. The palate shows so many floral (honeysuckle) notes alongside more pear and apricot, with a kiss of red fruits and chamomile. Extremely lengthy finish that trends toward caramel but continues to a more tart side instead of sweet. I need to get my hands on an older bottle. — 5 years ago

Paco Suro

8.9

Tasting some juice for #doloresoutpost from #winebridgeimports Fun on lees Alvarinho. #portuguesewine #highqpr — 5 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.4

Medium gold. Meyer lemon, peach blossom, canned peach and dried apricot, Lanolin, fresh basil, yeasty sweet vanilla on the palate. One of the best expressions of Franciacorta. 75/15/10 Chard/PN/PB. SS fermented, 20% reserve wine, 28 months on lees, 4g/L dosage. — 6 years ago

Francisco Figueroa

9.6

Amazing! And so youthful for being 16 years on lees. — 7 years ago

thibaut bourtembourg

9.1

Rich, toasty, big. 5 years lees, 4 years after disgorgment. More chard. Spice. Nice — 7 years ago

Pooneet K

9.0

Nice champagne but honestly slightly underperformed my expectations. Bubbles were quite strong at first. But overall this is precise and pure - laser focused in fact. Doesn't have the yeasty / lees-y complexity that I normally like but obviously a ver nice wine. — 8 years ago

Keith Herrick

9.5

Intense! I could see why some might not like this, but the full bodied, lees and oak driven vinous wine is just what I wanted! — 8 years ago