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Wine Description
The Story
Family run since the 19th century, the Billecart Champagne house delivers large number of bottles which are always well made and of the highest quality.
This prestigious cuvée, created in 1964 as a homage to the founder of the Champagne house, is the result of an assembly which has remained unchanged since its creation. The vinification, partially in traditional barrels, asserts a well-rounded and generous character, favouring a subtle and natural elegance.
The graceful charm that endears Billecart is on full display in this calm, effortless and yet profoundly confident cuvée. Pinot noir assumes a glorious lead in a magnificent display of red berry and cherry fruits, seamlessly fused to the bright lemon and pink grapefruit cut of magnificent chardonnay acidity. The pronounced chalk minerality that shines so brightly in the graceful Billecart style surges long and strong through a finish of mesmerising persistence.
Formulation: 79% grand crus and 21% premier crus; 60% pinot noir from the premier and grand crus of the Montagne de Reims and Grande Vallée de la Marne, 40% chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs; 15% vinified in oak barrels; aged 10 years on lees; 6g/L dosage; cork.
• 60% Pinot Noir from the Premiers and Grands Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne
• 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs
- • Dosage: 6 g/l
- • 5% vinified in oak barrels
- • Partial malolactic fermentation
- • Ageing on lees: 10 years
- • Available formats: bottle
- • Ageing potential: more than 10 year
Wine Information
Balance and richness
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). Its vinification, partially in traditional oak casks, underpins the generous character of this fine, elegant and rich wine.
Appearance: A lovely colour of pale gold and a fine mousse. A cuvée that brilliantly combines slowly rising bubbles with a persistent string of pearls.
Aroma: The freshness of the cuvée Nicolas François Billecart develops all its aromatic complexity - aromas of white flowers mixed with subtle notes of brioche.
Palate: The balance between richness and persistence is the hallmark of this accomplished wine. The perfect blend of grands crus from which it is made gives it a lovely freshness on the palate, developing a wide range of aromas.
Serving: Served at cellar temperature 10°, this vintage will enhance the flavours of poultry or white meat.
From François DOMI, BILLECART-SALMON’ chief winemaker.
Vintage 1996
Up to this point 1996 has been considered a fantastic vintage which produced classic wines; the best since 1990. A long, dry summer produced grapes of record ripeness with record acidity. Some, including myself, question how the 1996s are aging. The wines are generally characterized by a distinctive rather lemony acidity and very good attack, but some wines now seem terribly austere, while others already seem dangerously short of fruit. None of the subsequent vintages are quite as distinctive as 1996, which in the more successful cases should almost certainly be drunk after the 1999s.