Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Billecart-Salmon, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon was founded in 1818 following the marriage of Nicolas-François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Located in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ near Épernay, the House remains family-owned, today led by seventh-generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart.
Chef de Cave François Domi retired in 2016 after 30 years, succeeded by Florent Nys, who joined in 2005. Vineyard management is overseen by Denis Blée. Together with sixth-generation François Roland-Billecart and Antoine Roland-Billecart, they form part of the seven-member tasting committee guiding the House style.
In the 1950s, Jean Roland-Billecart pioneered low-temperature fermentation in stainless steel - now a hallmark preserving fruit freshness. Today, wines are fermented in stainless steel, temperature-controlled large oak casks, small oak barrels, or a combination, depending on the cuvée.
By 2020, production drew on 300 hectares: 100 hectares estate-owned and certified organic in 2025; 100 hectares under contract (herbicides and chemical fertilisers eliminated in 2019); and 100 hectares from grower partners. The vineyards span 40 crus, mostly within 20 km of the winery. In 2017, the House achieved High Environmental Value certification.
Billecart-Salmon's pure-Chardonnay vintage is a blend of Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte des Blancs. Cramant and Chouilly for its finess, Avize for its power and Mesnil-sur-Oger for its structure and longevity. Named in honour of the brother of Elisabeth Salmon, who founded the house in 1818 with her husband Nicolas Francois.
Weather in 2008: After a rainy but mild winter without any prolonged cold spells, spring arrived with some very localised frosts. Cool weather returned in June and the infrequent sunshine prolonged the feeling of freshness. The spring to autumn weather was bright with sunny spells and the long, hot days and cool nights during September gave the grapes excellent acidity during the harvest period. The 2008 vintage is fast emerging as one of the best since the renowned and now-legendary 2002.
The grapes are all from the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, where the hills slope gently towards the sun and the vines root down into the chalk that is not far from the surface. This gives the grapes a unique mineral character that you don't see anywhere else in Champagne. One third of the Chardonnay juice is fermented in barrels, which adds a slight spice to the aromas and oak texture to the palate and because they are older barrels, the impact of oak on the finished champagne is very subtle.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Côte des Blancs: 40% Chouilly, 32% Cramant, 21% Mesnil-sur-Oger, 7% Avize
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Dosage: 7 g/l
Disgorged: October 2020
Lees Ageing: 11 Years
Drink: Now for 10+ years
Tasting Note:Aromas of yellow fruits and citrus such as candied mandarin, limoncello, conference pear and pineapple. On the palate, a creamy sensation in the mouth from the lees time and a good balance of flavours such as zest of citron, almond biscuit and finished with a spicy white pepper edge and really refreshing with good length.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon was founded with the marriage of Nicolas-François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818. Situated in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, near Epernay. Today the family own 55% of the Maison with partners The Frey Group owning the remaining share. Their partners are owners of Château La Lagune, Paul Jaboulet Aîné in Hermitage and Château Corton-C in Aloxe-Corton. The business farms 100 hectares of their own vineyards and manage another 200 hectares from 40 crus mostly within 20 kms of the winery. Still a family-run organisation, seventh generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart oversees business. In 2016 Chef de Cave François Domi retired after 30 years with Billecart and handed over to his deputy Florent Nys who started with the business in 2005. The vineyards are overseen by Denis Blée and all of the team are members of the eight strong "tasting committee" along with 6th generation François Roland-Billecart and Antoine Roland-Billecart and fifth generation Jean Roland-Billecart.
The House style is intensely bright and fruity with an increasingly oxidative tone brought about by the recent re-introduction of oak. The Billecart-Salmon portfolio is vast but they are perhaps best known for their prestige cuvées, Cuvée Nicolas-François and Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé. In 1999, Cuvée Nicolas-François 1959 was awarded 'Champagne of the Millennium' by a committee of experts at a blind tasting session involving 150 vintages from the most illustrious champagne producers. The jewel of the estate however, is the single-vineyard champagne Clos Saint Hilare: a monstrously powerful cuvée originating from a single Pinot Noir plot sheltered by a wall of stone.
Cellar Master: Florent Nys
Winery Location: Mareuil-sur-Aÿ | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Vallée de la Marne
Annual Production (bottles): 2,000,000
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Billecart-Salmon:
Florent Nys - 2016 to present - Has been working as an apprentice under the watchful eye of François since 2005
François Domi - 1985 & retired in 2016 He continued the double cold settling of his predecessor and was an early convert to technological corks.
James Coffinet - 1976 to 1985 - He introduced double débourbage, longer periods of cold settling the must, twice for between 24-48 hours at 6 Celsius followed by a cooler fermentation. These were practices borrowed from the brewing industry. Coffinet was considered one of the best winemakers of his generation. The 1982 vintage was considered his masterpiece while at BS. Look out for a rare chance to buy a well stored bottle of Nicolas Francois 1982
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Billecart-Salmon:
Florent Nys - 2016 to present - Has been working as an apprentice under the watchful eye of François since 2005
François Domi - 1985 & retired in 2016 He continued the double cold settling of his predecessor and was an early convert to technological corks.
James Coffinet - 1976 to 1985 - He introduced double débourbage, longer periods of cold settling the must, twice for between 24-48 hours at 6 Celsius followed by a cooler fermentation. These were practices borrowed from the brewing industry. Coffinet was considered one of the best winemakers of his generation. The 1982 vintage was considered his masterpiece while at BS. Look out for a rare chance to buy a well stored bottle of Nicolas Francois 1982
Expert Reviews
96/100
William Kelley
“Disgorged in October 2020 with seven grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Louis Salmon is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with scents of crisp yellow apple and stone fruits mingled with dried white flowers, freshly baked bread, buttery pasty and mandarin oil. Full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's a textural, racy, penetrating wine endowed with considerable cut and concentration. It's derived from the villages of Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly, with the latter accounting for some 40% of the blend.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Surprisingly meaty and broad for a Blanc de Blancs – a very serious, mature wine with real savour – a white burgundy sort of Blanc de Blancs. Tastes pretty dry – a food wine? Certainly a champagne connoisseur's wine… Really opens out on the finish.”
95/100
Essi Avellan MW
“This classy Côte des Blancs Chardonnay comes exclusively from four grands crus: 40% Chouilly, 33% Cramant, 20% Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and 7% Avize. Even though the wine is from a cool-profile year, the aromas show ripe, classy features. The 11 years of ageing on lees have given it a leesy richness and vanilla-and-toffee softness. However, the 2008 vintage characters are unmissable on the palate, where generous acidity drives the wine and gives it a sensation of coolness and immense tension. Even if the aromas show some development already, the palate is super-young and racy, deserving further time. Disgorged 5/21; dosage 7g/l”
95+/100
Kristaps Karklins
“The 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Louis Salmon, disgorged in October 2020 with a dosage of 7.5 grams per liter, presents a comparatively generous interpretation of the vintage. It unfurls in the glass with aromas of orange oil, peach and pear mingled with top notes of bergamot and freshly baked pastry. On the palate, it is full-bodied, ample and layered, structured around a rich, concentrated core of fruit sustained by incisive acidity that lends persistence. Its textural attack unfurls into a long, lemon-inflected finish. Harvested in late September, the wine is sourced from the villages of Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Avize. Approximately one-third was vinified in oak, and—somewhat surprisingly for this cool, incisive vintage—malolactic fermentation was largely blocked; yet this decision does not appear to have imparted any austere edge to the wine.”
18.5/20
Nick Baker TFB Founder
“The initial impression is real richness to the aromatics, I was expecting it to be slightly shy. There is an underling chalky mineral charm, all those super ripe yellow fruits, pears, lemon, pineapple and a hint of spice from the partial barrel fermentation. The palate has a good balance of power of fruit, texture from long lees time and a good refreshing acid/saline balance. Going back a few minutes later and you see white flower aromatics and a creamy vanilla charm, it has really grown on the palate, the oak and the fruit combine seamlessly ending with a saline finish. Not as crisp as I was expecting for a 2008, likely the impact of the oak.”
This week signals the long awaited Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 2008 named as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon from the hugely popular and highly rated 2008 vintage.
Billecart-Salmon were one of the first houses to pick grapes last year, kicking off their harvest on 22nd August. We tasted the vins clairs with new Chef de Cave Florent Nys, and also shared a comprehensive range of finished champagnes.
Since the early 21st century, a quiet revolution has been occurring in Champagne, and the ever-burgeoning demand for artisanal, hand-crafted cuvées continues to flourish. What are the origins of single vineyard champagnes, why are they so popular, and are they a fad or the future?
Our previous write-up highlighted what a spectacular year 2018 was for champagne. The good news? 2019 is set to be even bigger! In this article, we look to the future and discuss which champagnes we can expect to be released in 2019.
Earlier this month, Champagne Billecart-Salmon appointed Mathieu Roland-Billecart their new Chief Executive Officer, rounding off a busy bicentenary year which also saw the release of Bicentenary Cuvée 200 MV.
