Following our
fabulous tasting at Philipponnat (see Journey to Champagne 2012 - Part 3), we took a short trip
down the road to the family owned Champagne House of Billecart-Salmon,
also located in the Premier Cru territory of Mareuil-sur-Ay in the Vallée de la
Marne, just south of Reims.
A few years ago I
really got into all things Billecart. Like most Billecart fans, it was love at
first taste when I savoured their prized non-vintage rosé (see my review here). It offers
a concentrated palate of rich, creamy and berry
driven flavours with lingering hints of minerality and a long
dry finish. It's simply delicious. What fascinated me
about Billecart then (and still does now) is how
clean, pristine, bright and angular the flavours are in their cuvées.
Ever since those early days of falling for their
non-vintage
rosé, I have wanted to understand Billecart's philosophy and method and why it
separates them from many others.
A little
about Billecart-Salmon's style
Some people think
that champagne should not be 'clean' as the ones produced by Billecart-Salmon.
By 'clean' I refer to the meticulous production processes involving double debourbage (where the must is allowed to settle to the bottom of the wine
before racking) and cool fermentation (which is modelled on similar techniques
used in beer making). This process keeps the champagne very primary (fruit
driven) and reductive (free of interference from oxygen). Further
aiding the 'clean' characteristics of their champagnes is the fact they look
for a strong acid structure - rather than sugar - to preserve freshness. In
contrast, some champagne sippers prefer champagne which is less primary,
fatter and rounder and has more (what I like to call) 'funk'; in other words,
some less refined characteristics which can produce some very interesting
aromas, flavours and textures.
Irrespective of
your preference, it's hard to deny the extreme care the House takes to ensure
consistency and high quality production standards year after year.
