Billecart-Salmon - Cuvee Nicolas Francois2008
WHITE SPARKLING
- Producer Billecart Salmon
-
Blend
40% Chardonnay
60% Pinot Noir - Country France
- Region Champagne
- UPC 3 113946 207079
Reviews
Jeb Dunnuck 98
Based on 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, with 17% raised in barrels, the 2008 Champagne Nicolas Francois spent more than 150 months on its lees, with 2.9 grams per liter dosage. It pours a rich straw hue and is layered and long with aromas of truffle, apricot, croissant, floral orange blossoms, and marmalade. Full-bodied, it's supple in texture, with a rounded mousse, and has a long-lasting, mouthwatering finish. Exceptionally well-balanced, it comes together seamlessly on the finish. This will be a wine to enjoy over the next three decades. Disgorged in January of 2022.
by AF, Jeb Dunnuck , 2023
James Suckling 97
Lovely precision and drive to this with aromas of lemon curd, brioche, praline, apricots, pomelos, mandarin zest and salted caramel. It's held together by a sharp, citrusy backbone of acidity, balanced with a fine, silky mousse. Both structure and softness here. Citrus fruit brightness on a beautifully elegant and seamless finish. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. 150 months on lees. 2.9g/L dosage. Drink or hold.
by JS, James Suckling , 2023
Vinous Media 96
The 2008 Brut Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart remains quite potent and young. It's starting to gain some weight, but it remains a classically austere Champagne. The fruit is reticent, and its contours are angular. The 2008 is a very good wine, but, as I have said in the past, it is a Champagne that belongs to the prior era here. Vinification was 83% in tank and 17% in oak, likely a decision made to give the wine more body in this decidedly lean vintage. Dosage is 2.9 grams per liter. Disgorged: first trimester 2022.
by AG, Vinous Media , 2024
Wine Advocate 96
The 2008 Brut Cuvee Nicolas Francois was disgorged during the third quarter of 2022 with less than three grams per liter. It has a delicate, pure, clean bouquet with aromas of orchard fruits, spring flowers, honey and licorice, with hints of brioche and pastry with aeration. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and crystalline, with racy acids and a chalky texture, the palate is tense and the finish is long, penetrating and salty. It exhibits perfect Billecart style, yet tension is present, a sign of the vintage. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir (sourced from Ay, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.
by YC, Wine Advocate , 2023
Wine Enthusiast 97
A blend of fruit from mainly Grand Cru vineyards, this beautiful Champagne is now fully mature. With toasty characters, touches of fresher fruit and taut acidity, the wine has a little spice from wood fermentation. It is a great Champagne ready to drink.
by RV, Wine Enthusiast , 2024
Wine Spectator 94
A vibrant Champagne, with vivid acidity enmeshed with the lacy mousse, creating a fine frame for flavors of black currant and apricot fruit, preserved lemon, toast and ground coffee. Reveals minerally hints of oyster shell and brine that linger on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged spring 2022. Drink now through 2030.
by AN, Wine Spectator , 2023
Technical Details
Description
This exceptional cuvée was created in 1964 as a tribute to the House’s founder. It results from the blending of Grands Crus from the classified Côte des Blancs vineyards (Chardonnay) and the Montagne de Reims (Pinot Noir).5% vinified in oak barrels
Ageing on lees: 10 years
Dosage: 6 g/l
Estate
Billecart Salmon is one of the few remaining Champagne houses to be owned by the original family and was established in 1818 by Nicolas-François Billecart. Most of Billecart-Salmon's fruit comes from a small vineyard holding, though this is supplemented with grapes bought in from the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. Meticulous production techniques, from the use of their own cultured yeast to its long, slow, cool fermentation, ensure that the family has 100% control of production.Tasting notes
Such purity and richness in this bottling, its both fresh and powerfully concentrated with a delicate but insistent mousse. This incredible bottling is pure luxury! This wine with an Extra Brut dosage is dominated by the great Pinot Noir flavors which is tempered by the elegance of the Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.Appearance: The yellow gold hue is adorned with delicate, soft golden glints. It has a subtle effervescence, benefitting from 11 years aged in the cellars.
Aroma: A delicious fruit intensity with elegant lemony citrus notes and nuts (flaked almonds, Menton lemons). There is a long and nuanced sensory development centred around exquisite hints of toast and baking spices.
Technical data
Dosage: 6 g/l15% vinified in oak barrels
Partial malolactic fermentation
Ageing on lees: 10 years
Ageing potential: more than 10 years