Champagne Selection: Champagne Billecart-Salmon

It all started here in 1818, when Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon united to give birth to their Champagne House. A family story since Louis Salmon, Elisabeth's brother and passionate about oenology, was involved in the production of the wines.

Thus, for 7 generations, each member of the family has endeavored to perpetuate the family tradition by remaining faithful to an immutable oath: "privileging quality, aiming for excellence".

From the Côte des Blancs to the Montagne de Reims, the grands crus rise under the Champagne sun. Here, the vines pampered every day, slowly blossom to the rhythm of an authentic nature.

The champagne of the House is based, above all, on the unique know-how of its men who rigorously pamper a 100-hectare estate and source grapes from a total area of ​​300 hectares in 40 Champagne crus.

Most of the grapes used for winemaking come from a radius of 20 km around Epernay, where the grand crus of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier coexist in the lands of the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Whites and from the Marne Valley.

This plot is led by a remarkable management and maintenance of the vine in respect of the environment. Maison Billecart-Salmon has decided to return to ancestral methods by reintroducing draft horses and sheep. These improve the porosity and biodiversity of the soil: the roots develop in depth and the minerals extracted from the soil promote the growth of smaller and more concentrated grapes, ensuring the best expression of this unique terroir. Le Clos Saint-Hilaire gives birth to an exceptional eponymous champagne which bears the name of the patron saint of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Made exclusively from Pinot Noir vinified in barrels, it develops a rare complexity and astonishing freshness. Each vintage will not include more than 3500 to 6500 bottles, all numbered.

Always concerned with improving the quality of the wines, the House introduced, in the 1950s, the technique of cold settling, then the use of stainless steel vats for longer fermentation at low temperature. A vat room concentrated mainly on small thermo-regulated vats (47 hectolitres) which make it possible to respect the traceability of grape varieties and plots. This vinification cru by cru and grape variety by grape variety allows to preserve all the nuances of the expression of the terroir. By vinifying at low temperature, the fermentation process is slowed down, favoring airy, delicate aromas and allowing all the purity of the fruit to express itself. The true signature of the Billecart -Salmon style.

More than 400 barrels and 24 casks respectively occupy the 2 cellars of the House.

Each barrel has been scrupulously chosen and shaped to reveal all the richness and aromatic complexity of the wines. True to its style and know-how, the House vinifies at low temperature to keep all the freshness and elegance characteristic of its champagnes. For the sake of permanent traceability, each parcel is vinified individually. This know-how and this ancestral vinification method are combined with vinification in vats to exalt all the elegance of the Billecart style.

The chalk cellars dating from the 17th and 19th centuries watch over the precious nectars of the House. Over time, the wines assert themselves and the aromas are exalted, imbued with all the finesse, balance and elegance that characterize the personality of the House's champagnes.

For 3 to 4 years, non-vintage champagnes fully blossom , twice as long as the rule set by the appellation, while vintage cuvées will wait ten years before revealing their full maturity. Letting time do its work is all the nobility of Billecart -Salmon champagne .