All-Meunier One-Off from Billecart

I have received more calls for the Billecart-Salmon "Le Rendez-Vous" Pinot Meunier Extra Brut #1 Champagne than any other bottling this year. Yesterday, our small allocation of 180 bottles finally arrived. I didn’t waste time—I am just as excited as all of the customers who called and emailed—so I chilled one down and drank it last night. Cinnamon and I had the wine both as an aperitif, and with the excellent Taiwanese food of I-Dumpling here in Redwood City. It was a huge success both ways and “a small bottle”—our code at home for “we liked it so much that we drank it too fast.”

This wine, which is based on the 2014 harvest with an addition of one-third reserve wines, is all Meunier, sourced from just three villages: Festigny, Leuvrigny, and Venteuil. Some of you remember the excellent Meunier that we used to carry from Loriot, who used only Festigny for two of their excellent 100-percent Meuniers. “Le Rendez-Vous” is labeled as extra brut because the dosage is just 4.5 grams per liter, but I think it would be better called brut—the balance is perfect! The wine is aged four and a half years on the lees, giving it a fine bead and a nice texture.

To me, this wine is the perfect combination of the extroverted, apple-like charm of Meunier and the elegant touch that is the calling card of Champagne Billecart-Salmon. The choice of 2014 for a base year adds the electricity and acidity that riper Meunier can lack. They famously ferment very cold at chez Billecart to preserve freshness, and this shows through on the vibrant, long back end. In my notebook I wrote that the apple character was like a perfect fall Braeburn, the crispest of all! That, combined with the nearly silky texture from the extra time on the lees, made this one of the most exciting Champagnes I have had this year.

This is a one off, and, as the bottom of the label says, we will have to wait for the next iteration of Rendez-Vous next year… What will it be? Pinot from Mareuil? Chardonnay from Chouilly? We’ll have to wait and see. If you are interested, don’t delay. This won’t be around for long.

A toast to you!

- Gary Westby