BILLECART-SALMON BRUT CUVEE NICOLAS FRANCOIS
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.
| France, Champagne | |
| APPELLATION: | Champagne AOC |
| GRAPES: |
83% Grands crus and 17% de Premiers crus: |
| APPEARANCE: | A beautiful golden yellow, glinting with bright sparkles. The glittering, crystalline appearance is set off by an eruption of finely chiselled bubbles. |
| AROMA: | It combines all the richness of an aromatic curve, both complex and refreshing. Fine intense notes of orchard fruits, combined with the characters of nuts and stone fruit (lightly roasted flaked almonds, frangipani, candied mandarin peel) and accentuated by the radiance of a floral persistence (acacia flower and rose petal). |
| PALATE: | The balance of a 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. |
| FOOD PAIRING: | This impressive vintage with great depth, tense and mineral, characterised by an elegant vinosity, offers you all the distinction of a well-aged champagne. |
| SERVICE TEMPERATURE: | Served at cellar temperature (11°C to 12°C), this cuvée will bring out the flavours of an excellent sole in lemon butter or a delicious milk-fed veal chop with chanterelle mushrooms. |
RP96
The 2008 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François 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 Aÿ, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.
20/04/2023 Yohan Castaing
