2008 Billecart-Salmon Vintage

Extra Brut
The long awaited Billecart-Salmon 2008 is an extra brut comprising 65% Pinot Noir from Reims and Vallee de la Marne including Ay and 35% Chardonnay from mostly Grand Cru sites in Le Mesnil, Chouilly, Cramant and Oger. After careful vinification and 9 years on its lees, the result is a beautifully intense Champagne with white flower and Sicilian lemon notes on the nose and a balanced palate of citrus, stonefruit and a lightly creamy, brioche character. Today`s tasting also revealed just how expressive this wine is, even today. The aromas burst out of the glass and this continued through the palate. I`d definitely consider decanting this while it`s young because my sample continued to reveal more in the glass over the next five hours. Very long, very complete and very enjoyable. Like all Billecart Champagnes it has a great ability to develop gracefully in bottle. (CW 26/03/19)
Origin
Champagne, Champagne/sparkling wine FRANCE
Colour
white
Wine Style
dry
Dominant Grape
Pinot Noir
Closure Style
cork
Maturity
drink or keep
Bottle Size
75cl
Case Quantity
6
Alcohol
12%
Wine Score
92 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, Aug 2020
18 points, Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com, July 2019 93+ points, William Kelley, robertparker.com, August 2019

This product is delisted and unavailable for sale.

Media Reviews

Antonio Galloni

The 2008 Brut Vintage is a delicious wine with which to explore the vintage, as it offers a lovely combination of richness, energy and early approachability. There is a sense of vibrancy that is so appealing. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, mint, spice and hazelnut all grace this enticing, impeccably rendered 2008 from Billecart-Salmon. Lovely. The blend is 65% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs done entirely in stainless steel. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. 92 points

Jancis Robinson

65% Pinot Noir (Montagne de Reims and Grande Vallée de la Marne), 35% Chardonnay (Côte des Blancs – Chouilly, Mesnil, Avize and Cramant). Nine years ageing on lees. Tasted six months after disgorgement. Extra Brut, dosage 4 g/l (liqueur de tirage is Pinot Noir dominant). Not as broad as the 2006. Very good for shellfish, and sauced dishes. Dense, serious, concentrated nose. Very tight. Only just approachable. Very satisfying. Great concentration. Piercing. Long. Still chewy. Very directed. Notably dry but not painful. Approach from the end of 2019… Opens out on the end. 18 points

William Kelley

The newly released 2008 Extra Brut Vintage from Billecart-Salmon is still—predictably—quite youthfully reticent, opening in the glass with a lively bouquet of citrus oil, crisp white peach, white flowers, cardamon and nutmeg. On the palate, it`s medium to full-bodied, chiseled and precise, with a tight-knit core, lovely underlying chalky extract and a tensile finish. This is a vintage Billecart with more-than-usual upside, and it will be worth following for two decades in a cold cellar. 93+ points