Monumental Tête de Cuvée Rosé from Billecart
A show-stopping wine from a show-stopping vintage. Champagne Billecart-Salmon is really in peak form with this extraordinary rosé.
The 2008 vintage in Champagne needs little introduction. It is clearly the best vintage in my 25 years in the wine business, and might prove to be one of the greatest harvests ever, in league with 1921 and 1964. When I heard that Champagne Billecart-Salmon, the master house of rosé, was going to release their cuvée Elisabeth 2008 this year, I was beyond excited. We just received our first little allocation last week, and, on Tuesday, Clément Calleja from Billecart came by to my front yard to taste it with me. It exceeded my very high expectations.
The 2008 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Elisabeth” Rosé Champagne is made mostly from grand cru vineyards, but it is the premier cru that goes into it that makes it so special. The red wine that gives this rosé its color comes from a small plot of 80-year-old Pinot Noir in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ called the Valofroy. This parcel, adjacent to the Clos des Goisses, faces due south and directly down at the Marne. The production from this ancient site is the defining factor for the production of this rare tête de cuvée. The wine is composed of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, and the red wine makes up just about 10% of the total. The raciness of the 2008 vintage has been married perfectly to the richness and power of the old vine-Pinot that gives this wine its color. It is a knockout.
We enjoyed this wine on its own at first, but later I made a little wasabi and ponzu tuna mousse to go with it, and the spicy, savory food worked very well with the Champagne. It has a very intriguing color with both pink and copper hue, and a gorgeous, miniscule streamer of bubbles. The bouquet has not only dark maraschino cherry and pastry toast, but also a chalk note that foreshadows the finish. In the mouth, the wine has Vosne-Romanée-like dark fruit and savor that is seamlessly integrated with a line of refreshing acidity and pure minerality that put most 2008 brut tête de cuvées to shame. This wine has a finish that not only goes on, but seems to expand in the mouth. After 13 years, this wine can be enjoyed easily now, but I am convinced that its very best days are still ahead. This wine is for the ages.
Watch Gary’s in-depth tasting notes.
A toast to you,