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Technical Details
Blend | 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay |
Country | France |
Region | Champagne |
Residual Sugar | Dosage: 4 grams per liter |
Alcohol | 12 |
Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut 2008 (Magnum 1.5L)
Proprietary Blends | France
$189.00 - 1.5L
The moment this hit our lips we felt like instant rockstars. So luxurious, fine, focused and complex...it stands still in its evolution. Champagne aficionados know that magnums are always better! Wish we had more to sell -- don’t miss this graceful, layered powerhouse that will age for decades!
Take it from Champagne expert, Tyson Stelzer, who flipped for this wine. "A cuvée to age for another 20 years at least – and it will live effortlessly for 50. In sheer, breathtaking purity, monumental chalk minerality, endless longevity – not to mention ludicrous affordability – Extra Brut 2008 is one of the champagne buys of the decade."
The story of Billecart-Salmon began in the early 19th century, in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, near Epernay. It was here in 1818, that husband and wife, Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, both in love with the same terroir, decided to build their own Champagne House. Today, the Billecart family has reached certified rockstar status and has remained loyal to Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, with the sixth generation now at the helm of the House, represented by François and Antoine Roland-Billecart, under the helpful guidance of their father, Jean Roland-Billecart.
Plenty of details in the reviews, but we know you will be blown away by the creamy, nutty, citrusy, brioche-y and sleek stone fruits. It’s simply a classic and NEVER disappoints. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED…!
PAIRING IDEAS: Turns out we had the perfect match last night at a classic Napa restaurant, Bistro Don Giovanni. Crispy, 900-degree-pizza-oven cooked branzino, with a simple green salsa and perfectly olive-oily crispy potatoes. Wow! We’ll be doing that again!!
MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Classical is the way to go with Champagne like this. Try something dramatic and moody like Mozart's "Requiem in D Minor". An experience in itself, pour yourself a tall glass of these bubbles and prepare for something special.
Technical Details
Blend | 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay |
Country | France |
Region | Champagne |
Residual Sugar | Dosage: 4 grams per liter |
Alcohol | 12% |
About The Producer
Reviews
Decanter
A blend of 65% Pinot Noir consisting of Premier and Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallee de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs. Significantly, this has nine years ageing on its lees (longer than some Prestige Cuvees), the 2008 was first released onto the global market back in March 2019. With an Extra Brut dosage of 4g/l, this is a highly expressive, confident and convincing interpretation of the vintage. Right now, it is youthfully sharp and focused with fine salinity, depth, acidity and balance, and as such is already extremely approachable. The flavour spectrum encompasses toast, oyster shell, citrus, cream and a flinty, mineral depth. There’s supreme balance and elegance here, combined with a hidden underlying power that will continue to emerge and broaden with time. The finish is dry and long.
Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide
(12% chardonnay, 88% pinot from Verzy, Verzenay, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Aÿ (for structure) and Ambonnay (for delicacy); 20% of the pinot fermented in barrels; 3.2g/L dosage; less than 100,000 bottles). Categorically the finest Extra Brut ever conceived, this is a cuvée of laser line and immortal structure that rejoices in the lightning energy of 2008 and the exacting precision engineering that is Billecart. A glowing, medium straw hue is a dazzling prelude to its scintillating purity and drive, cut with magnificent acid line and high-tensile chalk structure. The distinguished, north-east facing slopes of Verzy and Verzenay take a delightfully fragrant and pure lead, presenting white cherry and strawberry hull that ring out in clear peals like church bells. Age has done nothing to evolve its pitch-perfect high notes, lending just the most subtle nuance of fresh almond. A cuvée to age for another 20 years at least – and it will live effortlessly for 50. In sheer, breathtaking purity, monumental chalk minerality, endless longevity – not to mention ludicrous affordability – Extra Brut 2008 is one of the champagne buys of the decade. (2020-2021)"
James Suckling
A stunningly pure nose with aromas of apples, pears, grapefruit, dried flowers and fresh bread dough, all intermingled. The palate has a super fresh, sleek and vibrant feel with elegance, length and precision. The finish is so long and so precise. A stunning Champagne. Drink or hold.
Wine Enthusiast
Building on the structured Pinot Noir, often a hallmark of this producer’s Champagnes, this wine is densely textured and full of white fruits from the Chardonnay. Still young, it remains on the fruit spectrum so wait until 2021 for the full glory of the maturity to come through. *Cellar Selection* (RV)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged with four grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Extra Brut Vintage hasn't appreciably evolved since I last tasted it. Offering up pretty aromas of honeycomb, crisp green apple, white flowers and fresh pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, tensile and incisive, with a tightly wound core, racy acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse. I wouldn't open bottles from my own cellar for another five years, as this is evolving at a glacial pace.
Wine Spectator
A graceful Champagne that swathes the palate in a fine and creamy mousse, carrying flavors of baked blackberry, lemon meringue pie and chopped almond. Vibrant acidity creates a mouthwatering impression on the minerally finish. Drink now through 2026.
Vinous
The 2008 Brut Vintage is a delicious wine with which to explore the vintage, as it offers a lovely combination of richness, energy and early approachability. There is a sense of vibrancy that is so appealing. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, mint, spice and hazelnut all grace this enticing, impeccably rendered 2008 from Billecart-Salmon. Lovely. The blend is 65% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs done entirely in stainless steel. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (AG)
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