2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. Aged for more than 10 years on lees. Disgorged 2024. Dosage 3.8 g/l. Seductive cooked dairy notes, a soufflé sort of complexity, and similarly light frothiness, too. Tart apple still has a remarkable youthfulness. Note of cooking spices gives complexity on the length. Still blossoming, plenty more to come. (RH)

Billecart-Salmon’s 2012 Nicolas François marks the first release since 2008 and stands as another success. The fundamentals remain unchanged: settling and fermentation at low temperatures, a small proportion vinified in oak barrels and partial malolactic fermentation (20% was blocked in 2012). This vintage was characterized by a prolonged flowering period, significant rainfall and mildew pressure, resulting in a small crop. The harvest of fruit, which contributed to this cuvée, took place between September 17 and 22. "It was crucial to select only the ripest fruit, as maturation varied significantly between plots," explains Billecart’s head winemaker, Florent Nys. But what of the wine itself? Disgorged in May 2023 with a dosage of 3.8 grams per liter, it exudes aromas of candied lemon, honeysuckle and ripe peach, mingling with nuances of beeswax and orange zest. On the palate, it is full-bodied, ample and enveloping, boasting a layered, concentrated core, a chalky structure and mouthwatering acidity, despite the warm vintage. It concludes with a persistent, saline finish, hinting at the savory complexity that has emerged with such notable bottle age. Compared to the 2008, which remains tightly coiled, the 2012 is broader-shouldered and more demonstrative.

Made from 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, the 2012 Champagne Nicolas François has a complex élevage and was tasted as a vin clair. Bottled at the end of June of this year (the magnum in July), it’s highly aromatic on opening at this stage, with aromas of honeydew melon, ripe peach, and fresh flowers. Medium-bodied, it is long on the palate, with a linear feel, but has a ripe, rounded exterior and a clean, chalky finish, with notes of grapefruit pith and fresh lift. At this early stage, it feels as though it may be approachable in its youth, but we‘ll have to see. Mathieu Roland-Billecart assumed the position of CEO at this estate in 2019 and represents the seventh generation in his family. Along with cellarmaster Florent Nys, they are making notable and steadyhanded improvements that are starting to shine. The house is based in Maureuil-sur-Aÿ, which is also the location of the monopole vineyard of Clos Saint-Hillaire, which this year completed a full conversion to organic viticulture with an emphasis on taking things even further in terms of bio-diversity and experimentation with biodynamics. They source from approximately 300 hectares of vines, of which they own a third. French and Stockinger barrels with medium toast are purchased new and seasoned at the house for three to five years before use. About 80% of production is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. Only the best plots are fermented in barrels at cold temperatures, before being transferred to stainless steel tanks for aging after no more than six months. None of the wines are aged in barrel, and they never allow for malolactic fermentation to occur in barrel.