Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois 2008 750ml

Wine Advocate #Week , Apr 20, 2023 by Yohan Castaing
The 2008 Brut Cuv¨¦e Nicolas Fran?ois was disgorged during the third quarter of 2022 with less than three grams per liter. It has a delicate, pure, clean bouquet with aromas of orchard fruits, spring flowers, honey and licorice, with hints of brioche and pastry with aeration. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and crystalline, with racy acids and a chalky texture, the palate is tense and the finish is long, penetrating and salty. It exhibits perfect Billecart style, yet tension is present, a sign of the vintage. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir (sourced from A?, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.

Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it is one of the few to remain family owned.
The Cuvee Nicolas-Francois Billecart 1959 won first place 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.
Billecart-Salmon champagnes have also been reviewed favourably by wine writer Jancis Robinson.

Seafood, Shellfish, Crab and Lobster