The Best for Last? 2008 Billecart NFB Arrives!

Champagne Billecart-Salmon is on fire with great releases this year. All the wine lovers reading this article know them as one of the true greats in the world of Grande Marque Champagne, but this year Mathieu Roland-Billecart and his chef de cave Florent Nys have taken this house to another level. Last month, we had the release of the mind blowing 2010 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne, and now, the incredibly long-aged 2008 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvee Nicolas François Billecart" NFB Brut Champagne is finally out. I had a chance to taste a pre-release bottle of this with Clément Calleja from Billecart at the beginning of the month, and what a wine it is…

The 2008 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart (NFB for short) is composed of almost entirely Grand Cru fruit, but with the addition of 17% from their home village, the premier cru of Mareuil-sur-Ay. It is 60% Pinot Noir hailing from that village, Aÿ, and Verzenay, and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly, and Cramant. It is primarily a stainless-steel-fermented Champagne, but sees 17% oak-barrel fermentation to add richness. After 13 years on the lees, it only required 2.9 g/l of dosage to come into balance.

To say that I was impressed by this wine would be an understatement. The 2008 vintage remains the greatest of my 23-year career buying Champagne, and this, along with the Krug and Cuvée Louis Blanc de Blancs, also from Billecart, will be locked in a battle for the best wine of that vintage for generations to come.

The NFB has a beautiful light gold color, and the most gorgeous tiny streamers—both a product of the incredible patience that this house has shown in aging this monumental cuvée. The bouquet shows off the Verzenay Pinot Noir in the blend with a fine, detailed hazelnut bread aroma that has the generosity of Richebourg. In the mouth, the wine has an autumnal style, with nougat and warm panettone notes. The finish is what sets this wine apart, and for me is the greatest feature of the wine; it manages kaleidoscopic complexity with yet more nutty depth fused to pure, clean white fruit and chalk. The back end could be from the best pure Mesnil Chardonnay on the planet, and is so long and mineral that I am still haunted by it days later.

Don’t miss this one—even if it is just one bottle for a special treat. It is that good.

A toast to you!

- Gary Westby, Champagne Buyer