2007 Champagne Billecart-Salmon, Cuvée Le Clos Saint-Hilaire, Brut
Critics reviews
From the one-hectare plot of old Pinot Noir vines planted in 1964 in effectively the back yard of the Billecart-Salmon HQ in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Officially certified organic in 2022 and biodynamically managed since spring 2023. The Blanc de Noirs was vinified in oak casks aged between 15 and 20 years.
Very pale amber. Extremely fine bead. Nose of minerals and very ripe, round greengage fruit. Already a well-married drink even if not the most ample finish but this is likely to be the finest 2007 Blanc de Noirs you’ll encounter.
Drink 2024 - 2032
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2024)
Single parcel Pinot Noir, 100% vinified in oak barrels. No malo. Disgorged May 2023. 3.8g/L dosage.
Beautifully complex and mineral with notes of chalk, blanched almonds, dried raspberries, rose petals, pink grapefruit, nutmeg and pink peppercorns. Complex, tight and structured, with a medium to full body, plenty of strength yet elegant. Tight bubbles. Long, firm and savoury.
Drink or hold
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (December 2023)
2007 presents a rather different version of Le Clos St-Hilaire from the previous two releases (2006 and 2005). The hallmarks of the wine are very much there, with plenty of signs of maturity in the apricot kernel, chestnut honey and dark, tangy roasted apple fruit, with a welcome jolt of pink grapefruit-like acidity squeezing hard with some of the firmness and tension of the vintage. Despite this physical brightness, it is already in a nicely aligned spot to drink, with its autumnal ageing profile a little more present (at least in the bottle tasted) than was the case on release of the 2006 or 2005.
Made with Pinot Noir from the family's historic walled garden in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, 100% vinified in oak and aged on lees for 14 years.
Drink 2024 - 2030
Tom Hewson, Decanter.com (January 2024)
About this WINE
Champagne Billecart-Salmon
Champagne Billecart-Salmon was founded in 1818 in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ near Epernay. It remains family-owned and run; Mathieu Roland-Billecart represents the seventh generation here, following in the footsteps of founders Nicolas-François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon.
A family tasting committee meets weekly, joined by chef du cave Florent Nys. The eight-person panel includes three generations of the family, notably including Jean Roland-Billecart (who alone has over 75 vintages of experience). Not one cuvée is released until every member of the committee agrees on the blend.
Billecart-Salmon is a large Champagne House, with around 100 hectares of vines of its own. The process of organic conversion for the vineyards was started in 2019. The house also buys fruit from growers covering another 300 hectares of vines. Most of the fruit comes from the Champagne sub-regions of Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs.
Blanc de Noirs
Blanc de Noirs describes a wine produced entirely from black grapes. In Champagne, Blanc de Noirs cuvée can be made from the two black grapes permitted within the appellation, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Bollinger's prestige cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises, from ungrafted, old Pinot Noir vines, has set the yardstick in a style that is now produced by a number of other Champagne houses.
A typical Blanc de Noirs cuvée has a deep golden colour, and can be more intensely flavoured than the classic non-vintage, multi-grape blend.Recommended Producers: Cedric Bouchard, Bollinger
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
From the one-hectare plot of old Pinot Noir vines planted in 1964 in effectively the back yard of the Billecart-Salmon HQ in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Officially certified organic in 2022 and biodynamically managed since spring 2023. The Blanc de Noirs was vinified in oak casks aged between 15 and 20 years.
Very pale amber. Extremely fine bead. Nose of minerals and very ripe, round greengage fruit. Already a well-married drink even if not the most ample finish but this is likely to be the finest 2007 Blanc de Noirs you’ll encounter.
Drink 2024 - 2032
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2024)
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