Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas-Francois Salmon Brut 2012

An intensely rich and balanced blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay with endless textural finesse and complexity.

$199

$250

Retail

Flavor Profile: Apricot galette, vanilla bean whipped cream, clementines, acacia blossoms, honey-butter biscuits, yellow apples, lemon zest, lime leaf, white pepper, cinnamon, and limestone minerality

Time on Lees: 120 months

Disgorgement Date: May 2023

Dosage: 3.8 g/L

Farming Method: Certified Organic & Biodynamic Practices

Score: JS97, OB97, WA96, JD96, VN95

Why We Love It...

In the realm of consistently mind-boggingly fantastic Champagne, it doesn’t get much better than Billecart-Salmon. And this – a truly exceptional vintage cuvée made from all grand and premier cru fruit – is in a category all its own. Double 97 point scores, TEN years on the lees, unimaginable depth and complexity, and one of the finest expressions of Champagne you could possibly imagine… full stop.

Billecart-Salmon is a family-run empire with 200 years of innovation, quality, and working with some of the best fruit anywhere in Champagne. The house has survived and thrived for seven generations, over two centuries, 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 cuvée is selected and crafted from the very best Chardonnay in the Côtes des Blancs and Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne – a blend of 60% Pinot from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Aÿ et Verzenay, and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, and Avize.

The juice is vinified partially in traditional oak casks, helping to define the gorgeous character of this luxurious and powerful wine. After fermentation is complete, the wine is bottled and aged on the lees for an impressive 120 months, before disgorgement and a dosage of a light 3.8 grams per liter. Named after the founder of the house, this remarkable Champagne showcases the most exceptional terroirs of the region with unshakable elegance.

Drawing you in with aromas of apricot galette, vanilla bean whipped cream, clementines, and acacia blossoms, it’s immediately apparent how alluringly layered and rich this is. The golden-yellow hue glistens with an abundance of fine, persistent bubbles and a creamy mousse. Your first taste will take you through a wonderland of honey-butter biscuits, yellow apples, lemon zest, and lime leaf, with zippy accents of white pepper and cinnamon. Coming from the almighty 2012 vintage, this is quintessential luxury, with an everlasting finish accentuated by limestone minerality and a zippy acidic quality, primed to drink gorgeously now but able to age another couple of decades (if you can stand to).

We don’t have nearly enough of this rare creature – and it’s sure to fly, so make sure you grab yours while it lasts!

Scores

97 -James Suckling

"This complex Champagne has delicious aromas of waffle cones vanilla beans apricots and pastry with touches of white chocolate and salted caramel. It’s electric on the palate which is creamy yet structured and focused with a fine bead of bubbles and a zesty tangy backbone of acidity. Long and tense finish. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay (all premier and grand cru) 10% of wines are vinified in oak casks. 10 years on lees. 3.8 g/L dosage. Disgorged in the second half of 2024. Drink or hold."

97 -Owen Bargreen

"The dazzling 2012 ‘Nicolas Francois’ Champagne was stored on the lees for more than ten years. Sourced Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims (Pinot Noir) and the Côte des Blancs vineyards (Chardonnay), this was given 3.8G/L dosage. Amazing on the tongue, showing glorious weight and length, the salty minerality prevails throughout this scintillating drinking experience. Diatomaceous earth and white peach parade with baking spice laced pastry crust and shades of wild mushroom on the palate. Big, round and bold, enjoy this beauty over the next fifteen to twenty years."

96 -Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"Billecart-Salmon’s 2012 Nicolas François marks the first release since 2008 and stands as another success. The fundamentals remain unchanged: settling and fermentation at low temperatures a small proportion vinified in oak barrels and partial malolactic fermentation (20% was blocked in 2012). This vintage was characterized by a prolonged flowering period significant rainfall and mildew pressure resulting in a small crop. The harvest of fruit which contributed to this cuvée took place between September 17 and 22. "It was crucial to select only the ripest fruit as maturation varied significantly between plots" explains Billecart’s head winemaker Florent Nys. But what of the wine itself? Disgorged in May 2023 with a dosage of 3.8 grams per liter it exudes aromas of candied lemon honeysuckle and ripe peach mingling with nuances of beeswax and orange zest. On the palate it is full-bodied ample and enveloping boasting a layered concentrated core a chalky structure and mouthwatering acidity despite the warm vintage. It concludes with a persistent saline finish hinting at the savory complexity that has emerged with such notable bottle age. Compared to the 2008 which remains tightly coiled the 2012 is broader-shouldered and more demonstrative."

96 -Jeb Dunnuck

"Made from 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay the 2012 Champagne Nicolas François has a complex élevage and was tasted as a vin clair. Bottled at the end of June of this year (the magnum in July) it’s highly aromatic on opening at this stage with aromas of honeydew melon ripe peach and fresh flowers. Medium-bodied it is long on the palate with a linear feel but has a ripe rounded exterior and a clean chalky finish with notes of grapefruit pith and fresh lift. At this early stage it feels as though it may be approachable in its youth but we‘ll have to see."

95 -Vinous

"The 2012 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart shows all the natural radiance of the year. There's gorgeous resonance and texture here. Apricot spice tangerine oil and lightly honeyed notes infuse the palate with notable depth and persistence. This rich expansive Champagne has a ton to offer. This release was disgorged nearly two years ago which also adds to its complexity. Dosage is 3.8 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2023."

1 / 5

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Technical Details

Country: France

Region: Champagne

Appellation: Champagne

Vineyard: Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne (Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Aÿ and Verzenay); Chardonnay from Côte des Blancs (Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, Avize)

Varietal: Champagne Blends

Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay

Winemaker: Florent Nys

Farming Method: Certified Organic & Biodynamic Practices

Alcohol: 12.5%

Pair it with: Tuna tartare

Billecart-Salmon Champagne

About the Producer

The champagnes of Maison Billecart-Salmon are above all created thanks to the knowledge of the men and women who rigorously cultivate an estate of 100 hectares, obtaining grapes from an area totalling 300 hectares across 40 crus of the Champagne region. The majority of the grapes used for vinification come from a radius of 20km around Épernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the ethereal vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne, and the Côte des Blancs.

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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas-Francois Salmon Brut 2012

$199

$250

Retail

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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas-Francois Salmon Brut 2012

Why We Love It...

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Technical Details

About the Producer

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