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In the cool climate of northeastern France, winemakers in the Champagne region produce a tasty, bubbly wine we also know as Champagne.
Some of the terms used to describe the sweetness of French Champagne (or other sparkling wines) can be confusing. The most commonly terms are Brut, Extra Dry, and Demi-Sec. Champagne labeled Brut is actually the driest classification and many include even drier examples such as Extra Brut or Brut Nature. Extra Dry despite what many people think, is actually a tad sweeter than Brut. Demi-Sec, rather uncommon in the Champagne region, is a semi-sweet style of French wine.
Champagne can be made with varying percentages of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes, and the production method is called Méthode Champenoise. After the primary fermentation of the grape juice is finished the result is bottled and yeast and some type of sugar are added to create a secondary fermentation in the bottle. It is during the secondary fermentation that these magical bubbles in Champagne occur.
Notable French Champagne houses such as Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Bollinger, Louis Roederer, Tattinger, and Moet & Chandon, that produces the iconic Dom Perignon champagne, have been refining their craft for over 200 years in some cases.
RP9797 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 7th Dec 2018 Created in 1964 as a tribute to the house’s founder, the youngest release is the 2006 Millésime Brut Cuvée Nicolas François, a blend of 60% Pinot Noir from premier and grand crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. Almost entirely fermented in stainless steel (only 5% was vinified in oak barrels) and aged for 11 years on the lees, this is a beautifully ripe and rich yet pure Champagne with ripe fruit flavors intermixed with chalky notes and brioche/nougat flavors. The palate is intense and concentrated in its rich fruit and substantial depth but also tight, highly elegant and perfectly balanced. The typical finesse of Billecart-Salmon is palatable as well as amazingly pure, with the persistent structure of a great Champagne. The 2006 already drinks dangerously well, but there is no need to hurry, this will go a long way. My sample is from lot L 193A815 45578 that was disgorged in April 2018. Tasted in November 2018.JS9696 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Sunday, January 7, 2018 A rounded vintage, with very attractive white peach, apricot and nectarine fruits as well as lemon and yellow grapefruit, dried flowers, orange rind and some clotted cream. The palate has an assertive, sturdy and punchy feel to it. Bright acidity that’s lime sorbet-like. Good length and plenty of fresh stone fruit flavors. Fleshy and lively. Drink this now.WE9595 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 12/1/2018 Named after the founder of the house, Nicolas François Billecart (who married Elisabeth Salmon), this wine is now at its peak. It is poised between fresh apple fruits and broader, riper maturity. This balance gives a ripe wine hinting at toast and almonds while still with a dry aftertaste. Drink now, although in 2019 it will be even better.
RP9090 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Nov 2017 Tasted for the third time now, the 2006 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Millésime Prestige offers a delicious and matured bouquet of ripe fruits, cream, caramel and brioche flavors. (The wine tasted here is from lot L6280NG09, which was disgorged in October 2016 after 9.5 years on the lees, with a dosage of less than five grams per liter.) It is pure, fresh and mineral on the palate, highly elegant and finessed but also intense, very well structured and provided with a perfect roundness in the long, clear and cleansing but also complex finish. This is by far the best lot I have tasted so far; it’s simply a gorgeous Champagne that I’d love to have with a never-ending Sunday morning brunch. Four percent of the base wines were fermented in oak, the rest in stainless steel. The grapes were sourced in six grand cru villages such as Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Avize, Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry. Tasted on a dark and rainy November evening 2017. (Stephan Reinhardt)
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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart Brut
