Champagne Billecart-Salmon 250th Anniversary Cuvée Brut 2018

This is a commemorative and highly collectible bottling that is not widely available – certainly not at our price – and mostly kept aside for upscale restaurants and specialty retailers. It ages on the lees for a generous five years before receiving a 4.9 g/L dosage that could technically qualify as Extra Brut, though they label it as a Brut. It was crafted for dual-part celebrations of the United States’ 250th year as a country, as well as the 200th harvest of the Billecart-Salmon estate. 

Those 200 years of innovation, quality, and working with some of the best fruit anywhere in Champagne are what make Billecart-Salmon a family-run empire that has thrived for seven generations in the heart of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. They own 100 hectares of their own grapes, and contract out with some of the greatest growers for another 300 hectares – all spread across 40 Grand Cru sites throughout the Champagne region. Their vintage cuvées get the choice picks of the top lots, and this supreme 2018 vintage cuvée is selected and crafted from the very best Pinot Noir (65%) in Montagne de Reims and Chardonnay (35%) in the Côtes des Blancs.

This immaculate wine immediately draws you in – a pale yellow color greets the eye initially, with shimmering golden flecks. The nose is Meyer lemon with toasted brioche, and after a while, a chalk-laden essence comes to the fore. On the palate, the wine is instantly structured and balanced, pulling the acid and fruit profiles together seamlessly. This is effortlessly elegant, with a mineral thread that elevates the wine, as well as delightful notes of white blossoms, yellow apple, honey-butter biscuits, and a slightly saline-tinged finish. At the end of it all, it is a spectacularly worthy example of the best of the best for Billecart-Salmon! I can think of no better wine to fuel end-of-the-year festivities.