Vintage Billecart ‘Wines of Distinction’ Series: Christchurch Tasting
July
31,
2024
As part of our Vintage Billecart ‘Wines of Distinction’ Series, join us for a once in a lifetime lineup tasting experience of our rarest vintage Champagnes from Maison Billecart-Salmon, including their icon Rosé on arrival.
Prepare for an afternoon of culinary and vinous wonders as we present a phenomenal selection of vintage champagnes, including more recent vintages of the revered “Champagne of the Millennium” and their top cuvée, Le Clos Saint Hilaire.
Join us at The Athens Yacht Club’s Captains Room and indulge in this exclusive tasting, where each flight of wine will be paired with delicious Greek/Mediterranean canapes, that will thrill your senses.
On Arrival:
First Flight:
Second Flight:
- Billecart-Salmon Les Rendez-Vous No. 3 NV RRP $175
- Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé 2009 RRP $415
Third Flight:
- Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint-Hilaire 2005 RRP $1,190
- Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint-Hilaire 2006 RRP $1,113
- Cuvée Nicolas François Brut 2008 RRP $399
Maison Billecart-Salmon
Situated in the Champagne heartland of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, near Epernay, Billecart-Salmon has been under family ownership and management since its founding in 1818. It is a family-run winery with a majority share owned by the Billecart family and a minority holding is held by the Frey group, itself a family-owned business – they are owners of Château La Lagune in Bordeaux, Paul Jaboulet Ainé in the Rhône, and Château Corton C in Burgundy.
The Billecart family still lives on site and there remains a strong sense of long-visioned family continuity at play. Today there’s the seventh generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart overseeing everyday business as CEO, working closely with Antoine and François.
Champagne of the Millennium
On 12 June 1999, a jury of international experts came together to judge which champagne would be awarded the grand title of “Champagne of the Millennium” following a blind tasting.
Among the 150 champagnes in competition were the two Billecart-Salmon vintages, the Nicolas François Brut 1959 and the Nicolas François Brut 1961. When the results were announced, these two vintages took both first and second place
In his book The Great Tasting, Richard Juhlin wrote of the winner: “The perfect champagne, 1959 Billecart-Salmon, had everything one would expect of a luxury champagne, but in a seldom seen concentration and simultaneously with harmonious balance. A totally perfect champagne in its category, with a smoky, honey-smooth extremely long taste of walnut, orange blossom and chocolate. All who ever get to drink this fabulous wine just have to love the pleasure it grants. When you study the end results it is striking to see how obvious the victory was.”
It was awarded a final mark of 98.5 out of 100.
You can read more about Billecart-Salmon here & about Vintage Billecart-Salmon here.
Athens Yacht Club
The Captains Room at the rear of this Greek restaurant is the perfect spot. It is almost a private dining room, but not completely closed off from the rest of the restaurant so you can still feel part of the vibe.
- Date: Wednesday, 31st July, 2024
- Time: 06:30pm
- Location: The Athens Yacht Club
- Cost: $295 per person (incl. GST) subject to change
Tickets to the series tasting are strictly limited. Book today to reserve your place today to embark on this exclusive journey through the finest Billecart-Salmon vintage Champagnes.
If you have any questions or want to find out more, please contact us at puneet@dnfinewine.com or 09 357 0493.
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