Champagne Billecart-Salmon, Cuvée Nicolas Francois Extra Brut, Mareuil-Sur-Ay Premier Cru, Vallee de la Marne 2012

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay

This beautiful, delicate, and rich wine owes much of its character to the fact that it was fermented in conventional oak barrels. Brilliant golden hue that sparkles and shines. Finely carved bubbles erupt, accentuating the sparkling, crystalline appearance. The wine's evolution from fruity to floral (peaches in syrup, fine apple pie, and mountain butter) to fruity to floral (fresh fig, wild berry) to floral again achieves a harmonious tension. It has the depth of an aromatic curve that is both complex and invigorating. Orchard fruits with a lengthy, floral note (hawthorn) that bursts with intensity and evokes the flavor of stone fruits (Mirabelle plum and sweet cherry). All the sophistication of a mature Champagne is yours to enjoy in this tight and mineral vintage.

The marriage of Nicolas-Francois Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818 marked the founding of Maison Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay, the family’s hometown. Founded in 1818, Billecart-Salmon is the oldest continuously family-owned Champagne house. Over 200 years since, the house has built a reputation for crafting truly elegant and balanced Champagnes.