First taste: Les Rendez-Vous de Billecart-Salmon No.1

There was a time when Champagne was obscure – when the only thing that mattered was house style. This, in turn, had been the celebration of human triumph over inclement climate, achieved by the ingenuity of blending wines from various vintages, varieties and vineyards to even out what Mother Nature had not granted, and to let age and dosage do the rest. How things have changed – and how much for the better. The paradigm shift is in full view and a new, exciting series of cuvées by Billecart-Salmon is a picture of transparency.

Late last Friday afternoon, Mathieu Roland-Billecart, CEO and seventh-generation family member of Champagne Billecart-Salmon, launched the first wine in a new series, charmingly named Les Rendez-Vous de Billecart-Salmon.

This No.1 bottling is 100% Pinot Meunier, aged for 52 months on the lees and released with an extra-brut dosage of just 4.5g/L.

Lees ageing

The new series, said Roland-Billecart, was born out of experimentation. ‘The vast amount of these experiments you never see,’ he explained. ‘Because if they are successful – and very often they are – they end up being kept in our reserve wine catalogue. One of the things that led to this ‘rendez-vous’ is that from 2015, we started bottling some of these experiments to try and understand how particular grapes, crus and parcels would evolve when left on the lees.’ Through Les Rendez-Vous de Billecart-Salmon, Champagne lovers get to share some of that experimentation.

On the choice of variety, Roland-Billecart said: ‘Meunier is a grape that has been underrated for a long time, but at Billecart-Salmon we have always been fierce defenders and have never hidden the fact that it is the majority grape in our Brut Réserve.’ The grapes were sourced from Leuvrigny, Festigny and Venteuil in the Marne Valley, where the variety excels. Only the first pressing was used, cold-settled and fermented in stainless steel at Billecart’s typically low temperature of around 13°C. Some of the base wines went through malolactic fermentation. Two-thirds of the blend are from 2014, the remainder from 2012. 

Roland-Billecart said: ‘So yes, it is Meunier, but it is Billecart-born Meunier and you get that.’ He also emphasised that the wine should be served ‘not too cold’ and suggested ‘wide glasses or a decanter. If you drink it too cold, or in a narrow glass, you are going to miss it.’ He noted that while the ageing potential of No.1 was ‘uncharted territory’, it was designed for drinking now and over the coming five years. However, he did not say what the second wine in this enticing and insightful new series would be, nor when it would be released. Something to look forward to.

Les Rendez-Vous de Billecart-Salmon No.1 Tasting Note