Billecart Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut NV [1.5L Magnum]
(Champagne, France) - [WE 95] [JS 94] [JD 94] [WS 93] [VM 93] [WA 92+] [DM 92] [W&S 92]

About the Domaine:
In 1818, Nicolas François Billecart and his wife Elisabeth Salmon founded the house of Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, which now stands as the oldest continuously family-owned and operated house in Champagne. The estate is currently managed by the family’s seventh generation, brothers François and Antoine Roland-Billecart, while the cellars lie in the hands of Florent Nys.

After 33 years, François Domi has handed over the baton of Chief Winemaker to Florent, who has been working as an apprentice under the watchful eye of François since 2005, is now ready to take over the reins.

About this Wine:
Composed of the three Champenois grape varieties in equal proportions:

• Premier and Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs
• Premier and Grand Cru Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, Aÿ and Mareuil-Sur-Aÿ
• Pinot Meunier from the right bank of the Vallée de la Marne

Launched in 2010, this unique cuvée is both 100% fermented and aged in a neutral oak barrel at a low temperature. Each variety ferments and ages separately in 15-year-old barriques. The wine is aged on its lees between six and seven years and undergoes partial malolactic fermentation.

On the palate, this bottle of bubbles is rich with toffee flavors as well as dried stone fruits, candied citrus, and lemon zest.

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast
"Fermented in wood with a touch of spice and toast on the palate, this Champagne is beautifully textured and structured. The Chardonnay gives the wine a steely edge that suggests the bottling could age, so wait to drink this very fine wine from 2023." - Roger Voss (Dec 2022)

94 Points - James Suckling:
"Attractive and complex nose of salted almonds, apricots, figs, raspberries and white chocolate. Tangy green apples, too. Fine bubbles here, with vibrant acidity and sleek, integrated layers. Dry and rich yet all in balance. Equal parts chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier, with about 30% reserve wines. Aged six years on lees. Drink now." (Feb 2023)

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The NV Champagne Sous Bois Brut pours a medium yellow to deeper straw hue, and the nose is warming and more generous with notes of toast, red fruit of ripe raspberry, spice, and espresso. The palate is rounded, with rich texture though dry, offering notes of orange peel and currant. It has a silky texture and a fairly long finish, with ripe concentration." - AF (11/2022)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Flavors of baked pineapple, chopped black cherry, grilled nut and pickled ginger expand on the palate of this expressive Champagne backed by a firm spine of integrated acidity. Fine like raw silk on the palate, and the lightly mouthwatering finish carries accents of lime blossom, chalk and oyster shell." - AN (Nov 2021)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
"Rich, radiant and resonant, the Brut NV Sous Bois is wonderfully expressive. Dried orchard fruit, spice and chamomile build nicely with aeration. This release is based on 2015 with 40% reserve wines, a blend that works so well. Delicate floral and dried herb notes linger. Dosage is 5 grams per liter." - Antonio Galloni (May 2023)

92+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The latest release of Billecart's NV Brut Sous Bois is excellent, unwinding in the glass with notes of lemon oil, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly vinous, with chalky phenolic structure and an enlivening pillowy mousse, it's impressively deep and concentrated, with fine tension and grip. Early renditions of this cuvée tended to be at their best on release, but this impressive effort appears to be built to age." - William Kelley (12/21)

92 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Fermented and aged over winter in second-hand small barrels and barrels seasoned in-house (although future editions will include wine from larger casks). Rich and inviting apricot and kernel notes, brown butter and nutty honey. Some soft strawberry and an appetising, tangy apple length, highly expressive but really rather polished and rounded out. One third each Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay." (Apr 2023)

92 Points - Wine & Spirits Magazine:
"The base wine for this blend is fermented and aged in old, neutral oak barrels, the wine aged on the lees for more than six years in bottle. Those factors contribute to its toasty richness, and add potency to its earthy savor. It’s a firmly structured wine built for oysters roasted in a wood oven." - Joshua Greene (11/2020)