Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François '08

- A balanced and rich champagne made from the prestigious 2008 vintage

- One of the house's most prestigious cuvées

- Aged 10 years on lees, it is a real gem for any champagne collector

This exceptional cuvée was created in 1964 as a tribute to the House’s founder. It results from the blending of Grands Crus from the classified Côte des Blancs vineyards (Chardonnay) and the Montagne de Reims (Pinot Noir).

Appearance: A beautiful golden yellow, glinting with bright sparkles. The glittering, crystalline appearance is set off by an eruption of finely chiseled bubbles.

Palate: The balance of tension achieved by
the fullness of the wine (fresh yellow raspberry, fresh quince, honey biscuits and lemon caviar) symbolised by the conduct of noble flavours (fresh fig, liquorice and pigeon heart tomato). A texture with a strong personality, with its limestone imprint and an incredible intensity, curbed by its fully integrated low dosage. The finish with a rare complexity develops towards notes of toasted bread and bergamot.

"Alongside Clos du Mesnil, Nicolas-François Billecart 2008 is my most anticipated release of the year and indeed the decade. I believe this to be the very last cuvée to be released from 2008, the vintage of our lifetimes. Since anointing the 2000 vintage Champagne of the Year in the inaugural edition of The Champagne Guide, I have tasted every top vintage back to 1975, awarding an incredible rolling average score of more than 98 points, a feat achieved by just two other cuvées: Krug Clos du Mesnil and Krug Vintage. This ranks Nicolas-François Billecart in the top three in the world." - Tyson Stelzer

Note: This special item comes from our private cellar. Please add 2 days to our delivery time frame.

One of the leading families of Champagne, this medium sized, high quality domain is one to be admired. Billecart-Salmon (Pronounced beel-kahr sahl-moh) have a fresh, clean and elegant style. They champion the use of the meunier grape which is often added to other cuvees without fanfare in other houses. The absolutely pristine wine making facilities located in Mareuil-Sur-Aÿ are overseen by multiple generations of the family as well as chef winemaker Francois Domi. The house purposely ferments at a lower temperature elongating the ferment to weeks and not days as can be standard in champagne, which helps capture the pristine nature of the fruit. Every step of the wine making process at the house is artful, right down to the precision of the dosage which is unique for every disgorgement conducted in batches.

17% vinified in oak barrels | Ageing on lees: 10 years | Dosage: 2.9 g/l