Over 200 years ago, Nicolas François Billecart married Elisabeth Salmon, not knowing that the product of this marriage would be one of the most well-known and well-respected names in Champagne.

Billecart-Salmon is still owned and... Read More

Over 200 years ago, Nicolas François Billecart married Elisabeth Salmon, not knowing that the product of this marriage would be one of the most well-known and well-respected names in Champagne.

Billecart-Salmon is still owned and run by the descendants of Nicolas François and Elisabeth, a rarity for a Champagne house of this size. Each wine is carefully tasted and re-tasted (and re-tasted and re-tasted) by a committee made up of 4 family members and 4 wine experts.

Today, Mathieu Roland-Billecart is at the helm of the estate; he has led the dual charges of increased sustainability in the vineyards and winery, and increased quality of the wines. They are in the later stages of converting their land holdings to organic farming (biodynamic in some cases) — not an easy feat, considering the family owns 100 hectares and leases another 100. 

The improvements chez Billecart-Salmon are not just environmental. Since the 2018 vintage, there’s been a real push towards making the wines better, with longer aging, more reserve wines, and lower dosage. Just a few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of tasting the newest releases from this illustrious Champagne house, and I’m happy to report that the family’s efforts have been greatly successful.

A few names have changed: what was once called Brut Reserve is now “Le Reserve”, and the iconic Brut Rosé is now “Le Rosé”. Antonio Galloni succinctly explained it as such, "Of course, the flagship wines are terrific, but the biggest changes are at the other end of the spectrum, among the entry-level offerings." This spate of improvements also explains the recent dearth of Billecart-Salmon on the market. I'm glad to have the wines readily available again, but I'm even more excited that they are even more delicious than before.

A whopping 75% of the fruit used throughout the lineup comes from either 1er Cru or Grand Cru terroir, and within 25 km of the winery. They employ Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, Chardonnay from the chalky Côte des Blancs, and Meunier from the fertile Vallée de la Marne.