Billecart-Salmon has released a trio of prestige cuvées from the lauded 2012 vintage, and they are delicious. Sara Underdown has her first taste in Champagne.
We’ve seen many 2012 vintage champagne releases already come and go, so it's rather special to see three champagnes from the same vintage, and the same Maison, ushered to market concurrently at this later stage.
There is always a wonderful paradox between reduction and maturation in Billecart-Salmon's premium range that is particularly fascinating.
In the case of 2012, the vintage was not at all easy. Commencing with frost and heavy rain, in the summer months there was a heat spike. Come September, the milder and more harmonious conditions were redeeming, resulting in a very good vintage, albeit with lower yields. Billecart-Salmon harvested a modest 8,000kg per hectare (on average).
Some liken the year to balancing the tension of 2008 and concentration of 2002. Somehow the concentration and approachability of the year achieves a nexus with its vibrancy and acidity. These champagnes are made to age.
What has resulted is an exceptional, and unusual, trilogy release at the top tier of the Maison. For the first time, magnums have been made available concurrently with the bottle format release.
Billecart-Salmon Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs 2012
100% Chardonnay from the grand crus of the Côte des Blancs: 60% Mesnil-sur-Oger, 23% Cramant, 11% Chouilly and 6% Oiry. 25% vinified in oak. Ageing on lees is 115 months. Dosage is 3.9g/L.
I’ve long thought that Billecart’s secret sweet spot is blanc de blancs. Though the Maison is long celebrated for their lauded rosés, what I like about the Louis Salmon is its dense texture and soft deliciousness that upholds the blanc de blancs style with such beauty and fascination. The 2012 is no exception here. On the nose, there’s sweet honey suckle, a little mandarin and lemon curd. The palate displays the hallmark of the year with its fresh attack that opens to a creamy mouthfeel and restrained richness, all underscored by a fine chalky grip. This is perhaps one of the most approachable Louis Salmon’s I’ve had on release, but it’s not to say this won’t age. Cellar this one now to further enhance its charm.
Billecart-Salmon Élisabeth Salmon Rosé 2012
55% Chardonnay from Chouilly, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant. 45% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Aÿ and Ambonnay. Less than 10% of the Pinot Noir is vinified as red wine from grapes from old vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ with southern exposure 2.90% of the wines are vinified in oak casks. Aged on lees for 115 months. Dosage is 3.8g/l.
Always one of the prettiest rosé champagnes to savour, the 2012 Élisabeth Salmon Rosé’s subtle salmon hues point to the delicacy that takes centre stage on the palate. There’s a myriad of deeply delicious flavours to this champagne that make it so enticing to drink. Mixed berries, star anise and white pepper give way to apple turnover once warmed a little in your glass. The texture is soft and the tannins beautifully integrated, supported by a chalky core that lingers on the length. I served this one alongside king prawns with pickled kohlrabi and yuzu caviar with great success.
Billecart-Salmon Nicolas François 2012
100% grand and premier crus: 60% of Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne (Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Aÿ and Verzenay); 40% of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs (Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly and Avize). 10% of wines are vinified in oak casks. Ageing on lees is 120 months. Dosage is 3.8g/l.
Of the three in the 2012 trilogy release, the Nicolas Francois is by far the most open, displaying all the luminosity of the year. There’s a salivating deliciousness on the nose and palate, both showing a fair whack of spice, honeyed pastries and stone fruits – a sense of maturity borne of vintage but also from earlier disgorgement, some two years ago. Structurally, there’s a verticality of chalk and acidity around which exists a chewy leesy deliciousness from this secondary development. A real delight.
