2012 Champagne Billecart-Salmon, Cuvée Louis, Blanc de Blancs, Brut
Critics reviews
The 2012 Brut Blancs de Blancs Louis Salmon is a gorgeous Champagne. Lemon confit, spice, baked apple tart, chamomile and dried flowers are all nicely amplified. The 2012 was done 75% in tank and 25% in oak, with most of the lots undergoing malolactic fermentation. There's a feeling of reserve in the 2012 that is quite appealing. This edition is terrific, but it also needs time to be at its best. I would be in no rush to open this. Low yields and a year beset by frost, hail, heavy rain, mildew and sunburn at various times produced a rich Champagne. The blend of sites in Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, Cramant and Oiry works so well. Dosage is 3.9 grams per liter. Disgorged: first trimester 2023.
Drink 2025 - 2037
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (March 2024)
100% of the Chardonnay grapes came from the Grand Cru villages of Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, Cramant and Oiry. 25% were fermented in oak. Only partial malolactic conversion. Disgorged in early 2023 with a dosage of 3.9 g/l.
Pale lemon colour and a wine that opens up in the glass; it might even be one of those champagnes worth decanting for this is initially very tight. But then reveals citrus and then floral aromas and a very bracing, revitalising palate. The sort of champagne to be served as a luxurious aperitif. With time in the glass it also reveals hazelnut notes. Impressively long. No hurry to drink this.
Drink 2024 - 2034
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 2024)
Precise and sensual blanc de blancs with notes of pie crust, grapefruit, white peaches, chalk and hazelnuts. Driven, mouth-watering and with fantastic structure, yet it’s so balanced and creamy. Very fine and silky bubbles. 3.9g/L dosage.
Drink or hold
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (May 2024)
Tasted from magnum. Alongside the main release in 75cl, a limited number of magnums of 2012 Louis Salmon have been released simultaneously. Aged under cork during its second fermentation, these reframe the 2012's already expressive aromatics in explosive charry, flinty energy and an extra degree of fluid freshness on the palate, representing an irresistible supercharging of the beautifully ripe lemon syrup, apricot and sweet spice flavours present in this fine release, nimble and transparent with a beautifully precise palate unmarked by dosage or some of the heavier, more concentrated fruit the year can bring. 60% from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, with the remainder from Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, with 25% barrel fermentation and 115 months on lees. Dosage 3.9g/L.
Drink 2024 - 2040
Tom Hewson, Decanter (April 2024)
A blend of 60% Mesnil-sur-Oger, 23% Cramant, 11% Chouilly and 6% Oiry, this pale gold fizz with a dosage of 3.9 grams per litre was disgorged in the first quarter of 2023 after 115 months on the lees. With 25% vinified in cask, it displays a beautiful fragrance of sweet spice and nuttiness, with a voluptuous feel to the texture as it dissolves on the tongue with lovely rich stone fruit flavours initially, then all that ripe sweet peachy fruit turns elegantly dry and savoury on the tongue. A super-satisfying drop, the low dosage contributes to the overall dry, tangy citrus-zesty refreshing feel, its backbone providing a satisfying contrast with the voluptuous fruit quality.
Anthony Rose, The Real Review (June 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 Blancs
In Champagne, the term Blanc de Blancs designates Champagnes made only from white grape varieties, either as blends or single-varietal wines. The vineyards located between Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger in Côte des Blancs yield the best examples of the style.
A classic Blanc de Blancs is restrained and elegant when young, yet with ageing it develops a mouth-coating brioche richness that overlays an intense expression of fruitiness. Blanc de Blancs are endowed with longer ageing potential than a typical Blanc de Noirs.
Recommended Producers: Salon, Billecart Salmon, Jacques Selosse, Dom Ruinart, Krug, Le Mesnil Grand Cru, Guy Larmandier
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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
The Louis Blanc de Blancs is stunning this year. A quintessential Chardonnay from an exceptional vintage in Champagne, the nose is elegantly floral with a touch of hazelnut and brioche toast. A source of true aromatic complexity, there is an impressive array on the nose– lemon zest, almonds, white flowers and savoury spice.
It feels rich and the palate is laden with baked goods and ripe orchard fruit yet there is a precision that pierces through these flavours and an impeccable freshness that balances the richness out. A creamy mousse and a hint of chalkiness rounds out the structure. There is no doubt that despite the initial struggles of the 2012 vintage, it is proving, once again, to make excellent Champagne and in particular blanc de blancs. There is a long future ahead for this wine and I expect it to be drinking well into the 2030s.
Henrietta Gullifer, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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