Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve

Plenty of pinot character with strawberry and dried apple and some flint and matchstick, as well as stone. It’s medium- to full-bodied with freshness, a creamy texture and a long, delicious finish. 40% pinot meunier, 30% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. 28% 2019 and the rest reserve wine going back to 2006. Dosage 3g/l. Drink now.

At the start of last year, Billecart-Salmon began listing ID numbers on their bottles and including info on the wines. The NV Champagne Brut Reserve is the current release of this cuvée and is based around the 2019 vintage. A straw hue, it is well-detailed and on the savory side, with expressive notes of orange pith, crushed stones, fresh nectarine, and a hint of jasmine green tea. It’s medium-bodied, with a lovely rounded feel through the mid-palate and a silky, stony texture, and Its mousse is elegant and pillowy. As mentioned last year, readers should not sleep on this cuvée, which is coming together very nicely. Drink now or over the coming 6-8 years.

Based on the 2015 vintage and disgorged with nine grams per liter dosage, the latest release of Billecart's NV Brut Réserve contains fully 55% reserve wines and is showing very well, offering up complex aromas of warm bread, crisp green orchard fruit and citrus oil. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied and charming but lively, with an elegantly textural attack, a fleshy core of fruit and lively balancing acids.

The cuvée from this great Champagne producer is dry, fruity with a fine line of minerality. That is balanced by the apple and crisp citrus-fruit flavors coming together in a vibrant, textured wine. Drink now.