Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rose 2008 Magnum (1.5 ltr)

Description

New Release. Price £395.00.

Introduction:
Created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, one of the House’s founders, this cuvée is set apart by its radiance, refined purity as well as unique character. It embodies with subtlety the signature of our top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay terroirs. Allowing time to play its role is behind the grandeur of this vintage cuvée.

Tasting Notes:
A luminous visual presence with soft shimmering coppery reflections and a deep salmon pink hue.

Harmonious blossoming of gourmet flavors (tangerine, blood orange and Reinette apple tart). A fullbodied and layered mouthfeel, evolving towards a chalky edge and a lingering finish of citron zest and red and white currants.

A refreshing and sensual sensory expression of citrus peels and red berry jelly, with the exquisite sensation of a rich and complex aromatic amplitude (Plougastel strawberry, Mara des Bois and vine peach). Beautifully refined and mature olfactory notes, releasing a distinctive perfume of scented soft spices and wild rasberry pulp.

This great wine is endowed with great finesse and delicacy, its personality shining through textures and flavors. An aromatic charm coupled with a rare mineral dimension, ideally paired with poulet de Bresse or Breton langoustines royales.

Service Temperature : 11/12°

Available formats and ageing potential:
Bottle : more than 10 years

Winemaking:
76% Grands crus and 24% Premiers crus.

55% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne.

45% Chardonnay from the Côtes des Blancs.

9% of the Pinot Noir is vinified as red wine with grapes from Valofroy, a parcel of old vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ with a full southern exposure.

17% of the wine is fermented and matured in 15 year old oak barrels.

Dosage: 7 g/l

Background Information:
Billecart-Salmon, a medium-size Champagne House in Mareuil-sur-Ay, was founded in 1818 by the original owners Nicolas Francois Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon who combined their names on marriage to create the brand. It is one of the few remaining Champagne houses to remain family owned.

Most of Billecart-Salmon’s fruit comes from a small vineyard holding, though this is supplemented with grapes bought in from the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. Meticulous production techniques, from the use of their own cultured yeast to its long, slow, cool fermentation, ensure that the family has 100% control of production.

Billecart-Salmon is renowned for the quality of its delicate Rose, whilst the Brut Reserve (a blend of three vintages) is a beautifully harmonious and balanced wine. All have the ability to age very well.

The Cuvee Nicolas-Francois Billecart 1959 won the title in the Champagne of the Millennium 1999, out of 150 of the finest 20th Century champagnes. A magnum of the winning champagne later sold for £3,300.