Today is the worldwide release for one of the best of the great 2012 vintage in Champagne, and we are lucky to have an allocation. We had a preview of the 2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne before today’s release, and. after tasting it in the morning with Clément from Billecart, I knew that I had to make something special to have with it at dinner. This is a Blanc de Blancs that has it all—and promises to develop well for at least a generation.

This 2012 Louis Salmon is 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Grand Crus of Mesnil, Chouilly, Cramant, and Oiry, mostly from old, massal-selected vines. It was fermented in the classic Billecart fashion, at almost lager temperature for many weeks, 75% in stainless steel and 25% in oak with only partial malolactic. It has been aged more than 10 years on the lees and then dosed very low, at 3.9 grams per liter. While it is certainly dry, the balance comes off more like Brut to me than Extra Brut as the wine had so much time to mellow and round out on the lees.

When we tasted it in the morning, I loved the pale white gold color that still had a flash of green and an incredible bouquet of cream and nougat. The baguette toast I found in the morning tasting turned to a fine brioche by dinner and showed a preview of what will happen with a little cellar time. While the nose was generous from the start, the wine showed compact, concentrated, and full of spectacular, linear cut in the mouth in the morning, then opened up in the evening with the food. I was able to find a great piece of Ahi, which I prepared three ways—as spicy tuna, tataki, and sashimi to pair with it. The food brought out the citric freshness of the wine and the unbelievable quality of the finish. This is super long, expansive, chalky and full of lemony drive. After tasting more 2012 Champagne than I can count, I am sure that this will go down as one of the greats.

This will be one of the last of the 2012s, and I promise you will never say that you bought to much for your cellar!

A toast to you!

- Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer