Billecart-Salmon

Billecart-Salmon Nicolas François Brut 2006 Champagne |2006

Billecart-Salmon

Billecart-Salmon Nicolas François Brut 2006 Champagne

2006

$385.00

- Grand Cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend.

- One of the House’s most prestigious cuvées.

- Aged for 10 years, a Champagne collector's dream.

This exceptional cuvée is a beautiful sparkling yellow gold hue. Aromas of preserved peaches, fine apple tart and lemon are on full display. On the palate, fine honeyed notes complement those of cherry and plum stone fruits, underlined by aromas of citrus fruit zest.

First created in 1964 as a tribute to the House’s founder, Cuvée Nicolas François is the result of the blending of two Grand Crus from Côte des Blancs (Chardonnay) and Montagne de Reims (Pinot Noir). The cuvée displays a sophisticated personality Champagne Billecart-Salmon is renowned for and retains a power controlled by a well-integrated low dosage.

Club Price $365.75 (?) ?

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"The mark of Billecart is made not by the heavy foot all of concentration, power and presence, but rather by the fairy touch of delicacy and crystal/clear fidelity." - Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide.

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.

40% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay, 60% Pinot from Aÿ, Mailly-Champagne and Rilly-la-Montagne. 10% vinified in oak barrels (15% of Pinot and 5% of Chardonnay). Partial malolactic fermentation and aged on lees for 10 years. Dosage 6g/l. 60,000 bottles produced.

Enjoy with scallops, pan seared with hazelnut and ceps in a poultry stock.

About the House

"The mark of Billecart is made not by the heavy foot all of concentration, power and presence, but rather by the fairy touch of delicacy and crystal/clear fidelity." - Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide.

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.

Pairing

Enjoy with scallops, pan seared with hazelnut and ceps in a poultry stock.

Technical Details

40% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay, 60% Pinot from Aÿ, Mailly-Champagne and Rilly-la-Montagne. 10% vinified in oak barrels (15% of Pinot and 5% of Chardonnay). Partial malolactic fermentation and aged on lees for 10 years. Dosage 6g/l. 60,000 bottles produced.

Review

Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide - 95 points

A powerful Nicolas François that ricochets with the ripe 2006 vintage. The rich generosity and fast-evolving mood of this generous season is heightened by the toasty, spicy complexity of a little oak vinification, lending subtle, savoury smoked charcuterie notes to a core of rich grilled pineapple, fig and mirabelle plum. Age has layered its personality in wild honey, vanilla nougat, gingernut biscuits, butter, cream and bees wax. This is a Billecart of medium straw hue, even a copper tint, juxtaposing the tension of malic acidity with the bite of warm-season phenolic grip in concert with partial barrel ferment structure, making for a tussle that leaves a little dry astringency to its very long finish. It has the generosity and polish to flatter and entice nonetheless, holding outstanding line amidst frothy salt minerality. Such a rigid and consummately engineered frame promises great endurance, and it begs for time to soften and calm.

Winemaking

Aged 10 Years on Lees

Stone Fruit

Peach Plum Cherry

Citrus Fruit

Citrus Lemon