All in a Name: Billecart-Salmon's New Visual Identity

An old favourite, a new identity. In its unwavering pursuit of excellence, Maison Billecart-Salmon takes yet another step forward in the quality and precision of its blends.

At Billecart-Salmon, the release of each wine is approved by a dedicated tasting committee. It is composed of eight members, four of whom represent three generations of the Billecart family. The committee thus ensures that each champagne offers the best of the House’s style. The family is supported by talented collaborators such as Florent Nys, chief winemaker and Denis Blée, vineyard and wine director.

In 2019, the Tasting Committee embarked on a comprehensive re-evaluation of the ever-popular and ‘most impressive NV’ (according to Jancis Robinson) Brut Réserve cuvée. This aligned with the development of a ’library’ of reserve wines spearheaded by Florent in 2018.

William Kelley for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate visited the House in 2022 and noted the work and their potential;

“Another development is investment dedicated to increasing the proportion of reserve wines, which now routinely surpasses 50% for the Brut Réserve (it was more like 35% not long ago). Recent releases from Billecart have been excellent and show all that work very clearly, and surely the upward trajectory will be perpetuated if the house continues to invest in agronomic improvements. Fans of Billecart’s elegant, pillowy but precise style will be delighted by everything…”

Billecart’s attention to detail extends beyond Brut/Le Réserve – their full range of non-vintage cuvées have been reviewed in the same vein;

• The Brut Rosé will become Le Rosé
• The Brut Sous Bois will become Le Sous Bois
• The Brut Blanc de Blancs will become Le Blanc de Blancs

Fans are already aflutter, with ‘Word on the Grapevine’ calling it “the new benchmark non-vintage champagne”;

“This scale of investment is largely unrivalled amongst grand marques, in part because so many are beholden to shareholders or management, being family-owned and managed liberates long-term vision from quarterly returns. The resultant Le Réserve is a showstopper… Don’t walk, run to taste this new benchmark non-vintage champagne.“

“When you make internationally renowned champagne for 206 years you don’t have to rock the boat, but that’s exactly what Grand Marque (Great Brand) Billecart-Salmon has done with the new releases of their flagship non-vintage champagnes. The Brut Reserve NV, soon to be called “Le [Réserve],” remains a blend of 40% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, and 30% Pinot Noir, but now incorporates a perpetual blend (62%, 2006-2018) for the first time, adding depth and complexity, and the dosage has dropped from 8g/l to 3g/l, resulting in a much drier and refined style of champagne. In addition, the base vintage (38%) is from the fantastic 2019 “solar” harvest, which produced ripe grapes with high levels of acidity. The majority of wines (92%) were fermented in stainless steel tanks and a small but consequential amount (8%) were fermented in oak casks. Finally, the Brut Reserve only went through partial malolactic fermentation to preserve the freshness of the 2019 vintage. Disgorged in the spring of 2023. If you’re already a fan of Billecart-Salmon prepare to love them even more. If you haven’t tried Billecart-Salmon before, it’s time to discover this legendary Grand Maison.” – Philip Roufail

“Based on the 2020 vintage, Billecart-Salmon’s signature rosé appears to be on its finest form of recent years under cellar master Florent Nys, full of fragrant, crunchy redcurrant, red cherry and orange fruit with an alluring hibiscus-like floral lift and subtle green peppercorn spicing. The Meunier wraps the intensity of the vintage base in a little softness that keeps the focus on effortless ease (helped by the selection of delicate Chardonnays and young, fresh reserve wines), all adding up to a rosé of immediacy and charm, sweet-natured without sweetness and fragrant without overt fruitiness.”
– Decanter, 92 Points

“The NV Brut Rosé (base 2020) is another wine that points to the progress Mathieu Roland-Billecart has made here in recent years. Pliant, creamy and super-expressive, this edition is striking. It has a good bit of textural richness and is fresher than the 2018 tasted alongside it. Of course, some of that may be as simple as time in bottle. Pomegranate and grapefruit are laced into the brisk, finely cut finish.”
– Vinous

“Based on the 2016 vintage with 26% réserve wines from eight different vintages, Billecart-Salmon’s NV Sous Bois exhales a delicate, toasty bouquet of mirabelle, tangerine, white fruits, ripe orchard fruits and baked bread, mingled with delicate notes of vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, round and creamy, it’s perfectly balanced with a vinous, fleshy core of fruit and a delicately toasty finish complemented with gastronomic bitterness… Since Mathieu Roland-Billecart’s arrival in 2018, the estate has expanded its barrel program, focusing on the best terroirs for cuvées like Brut Réserve and Brut Sous Bois…”
– Yohan Castaing for The Wine Advocate

“The NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is showing beautifully today, with aromas of confit citrus, pear, herbs, orchard fruits, pastry and brioche. Medium to full-bodied, it is round and supple with the delicate, bright tension that is the signature of Billecart-Salmon. Perfectly balanced and offering a vinous, toasty and elegantly long finish, it’s based on the 2017 vintage with 23% from 2016. Vinified and matured in stainless steel, it spent five years on the lees in bottle before being disgorged with a dosage of 1.7 grams per liter.”
– Yohan Castaing for The Wine Advocate

Unlock the secrets of your cuvée with MyOrigin.

Your digital tool to discover the Champagne you’re about to taste, down to every last detail: grape varieties, dosage, disgorgement date, number of vintages contained in each cuvée, total sugar and food pairings. Billecart-Salmon reveals everything in full transparency thanks to the 6-digit number located on the back label of your bottle.