Extraordinary Vineyards: A visit to the Champagne Maison Billecart-Salmon
This article details a visit to the historic Billecart-Salmon champagne house, founded in 1818 and still family-owned. The author toured the estate, learned about the winemaking process from vineyard to cellar, and tasted three distinct champagnes, highlighting the house's style of freshness, finesse, and precision.
- Founded in 1818
- Still family-owned
- 7th generation of the Salmon family
- Estate is about 100 hectares
- Uses grapes from an area totalling 300 hectares across 40 crus
- Clos Saint-Hilaire is a 1-hectare monopole planted with 100% Pinot Noir in 1964
- Le Clos Saint-Hilaire champagne is produced in extremely limited quantities, between 3500 to 5500 bottles per vintage
- Inaugural vintage of Le Clos Saint-Hilaire was launched in 1995
Billecart-Salmon is positioned as a larger house than small grower producers but retains a family-led approach, akin to independent, family-owned watch brands like Patek Philippe and Chopard.
The house's style is built around freshness, finesse, and precision, with winemaking techniques like cold settling and low-temperature fermentations pioneered in 1958.
The Tasting Committee, comprising four family members and four non-family members, acts as the guardian of the house's style.
The Clos Saint-Hilaire monopole, planted in 1964, is managed traditionally with workhorses, and its champagne is aged 13 to 15 years on the lees before release as Extra Brut or Brut Nature.
The Elisabeth Salmon Rosé Milleséme 2013 has a salmon peach color, with notes of citrus, fresh fruits, and mandarins on the nose, and salinity with delicate flavors of butter and saffron on the palate.
The Louis Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs Millêsieme 2013 exhibits a pale lemon hue with a gold tint, white fruits, apple, and pear on the nose, and ripe fruits with a crispy, bright salinity and buttery mouthfeel on the palate.
The Blanc de Blancs cuvée, made from 4 Grand Cru vineyards, presents a delicate mousse, pale lemon hue, mineral intensity, brioche, and white flowers on the nose, with a chalky texture, almonds, citrus, and lemon notes on the palate.