Wine Advisor
Billecart Salmon, Brut Rose NV
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rose is especially full-bodied in this year’s version, which is based on 2005. Gorgeous notes of freshly cut flowers, raspberries, spices and minerals flow from this delicious Champagne. The wine possesses outstanding harmony, particularly in the way the fruit carries through to the long finish. The estate’s Rose is 45% Chardonnay, 25% Meunier and 30% Pinot Noir, of which 7-8 is still Pinot. Lot L 78204 28908A was disgorged Septemeber 2008. Billecart-Salmon, based in Mareuil-sur-Ay, makes wines in a style that is all about timeless elegance. These Champagnes are characterized by their supreme balance. All of the 2008 vins claires I tasted showed remarkable harmony and transparency of site. Much of the aromatic complexity of the wines can be attributed to a preference towards cold temperatures in fermentation, which keeps the wines fresh. The domaine uses Burgundian oak barrels for a portion of the wines. The exact amount of batonnage and malolactic fermentation depend on the vintage. Prior to being bottled the wines are blended in a large steel tank to insure consistency, something the estate takes very seriously. In general the non-vintage wines receive 7-9 grams of dosage, while the vintage wines have 5-7 grams, depending on the year. Among current releases, I found the 1998s to be brilliant, while the 2000s, from a much more challenging growing season, come across as less refined. The estate does not disclose disgorgement dates, but a code on the foil wrapping can be traced back to a date. Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 332-4999
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Based on the 2018 vintage, Billecart's new NV Brut Rosé incorporates 40% reserve wines and some 6% still red wine. Bursting with scents of sweet red berries, peonies, stone fruits, white cherries, freshly baked bread and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with a seamless and enveloping core of fruit and a lively, fine-boned profile.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rose is beautifully balanced in its layers of perfumed red fruit, berries and flowers. Clean mineral notes frame a silky, sensual finish. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is one of the most consistently delicious roses readers are likely to find. This is Lot: L779914 30209M. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2014. The Billecart-Salmon house style is defined by class, elegance, and a sublime freshness to the wines. Long fermentations at cold temperatures with no malolactic fermentation are the rule at this small, family-owned property in Mareuil-sur-Ay. I also had a chance to re-taste the 2000 Brut Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon 2000 Brut Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart (reviewed last year). Both wines showed beautifully. Readers will find updated notes on www.erobertparker.com. Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 332-4999
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Based on the 2016 vintage, the new NV Brut Rosé from Billarcart-Salmon has turned out nicely, mingling notes of red berries and plums with notions of peach, dried flowers and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and elegant, it's bright and charming, with a generous core of fruit, racy acids and a pinpoint mousse. Giving and demonstrative, it's already drinking well.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rose is a pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is a reliably tasty wine. This is Lot L26712406690A. Disgorged September 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Importer: T. Edward Wines, Ltd., New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The latest release of the NV Brut Rosé is based on the 2015 vintage and was disgorged with 8.5 grams per liter dosage. Bursting with aromas of red berries, freshly baked bread, pomelo and peach, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with racy acids, pretty fruit tones and a youthfully frothy mousse.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine was recommended, but no tasting note was given.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Billecart-Salmon is one of my favorite Champagne houses, and their non-vintage Rose (Lot #L85547401905M) is a consistent winner. A delicate pink color is accompanied by gorgeous sweet cherry, strawberry, and mineral-like scents, assertive medium-bodied flavors, a delicate, crisp personality, and surprising depth as well as persistence. A beautiful berry character in the finish adds to this impeccable rose’s captivating style. Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 332-4999. Reviewed by RMP
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Pale salmon-pink colour. Wild strawberries, freshly baked biscuits and cream aromas on the nose. The palate is elegant and delicately flavoured of wild strawberries complimented by just the right amount of autolytic toastiness. Crisp backbone of acidity and quite a minerally style. Long finish. Drink now. Tasted October 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
No Specific Tasting Note
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rose emerges from the glass with the essence of freshly cut flowers, berries and minerals in a mid-weight, gracious style. It shows gorgeous inner perfume, along with persistent notes of chalkiness that frame the long, sublime finish. Year in, year out, this estate’s NV Brut Rose is one of the most consistently outstanding wines in the region. This is Lot 337014 -3671A. Disgorged June 30, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015. This is a fine set of new releases from Billecart-Salmon. I admire these Champagnes for their trademark crystalline purity and exceptional sense of balance. Importer: T. Edward Wines, Ltd., New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504
Reviewed by: Stephan Reinhardt
Pale yet intense pink in color, the Billecart-Salmon NV Brut Rosé is pure, fresh and intense on the nose, with lovely raspberry aromas, refreshing citrus zest flavors and great definition. On the palate this is a pure, light and vinous rosé with great finesse and a long, well-structured and even juicy finish. This iconic rosé blends 40% Chardonnay with 30% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay and 30% Pinot Noir (with a small part added as red wine) from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne. Fabulous. Tasted from lot L 142B804 45564, which is based on the 2015 harvest and 40% reserve wines and was disgorged in February 2018. Tasted November 2018.
Reviewed by: Stephan Reinhardt
Aromas of rose, peony, red berries and guava preface the NV Brut Rosé, a medium to full-bodied, elegant and vinous Champagne rosé that concludes with a long, ethereal finish enhanced by menthol notes. A blend of 45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, it's based on the 2014 vintage with 46% vins de réserve from nine different vintages and the addition of 6% as a red wine, vinified and matured in stainless steel. Dosage: 4.7 grams per liter.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Rosé, base 2018, is very pretty. All the elements come together in an effortless, gracious Rosé that hits all the right notes. Crushed red berry fruit, white flowers and white pepper lend brightness throughout. Dosage is 6.85 grams per liter. Disgorged: 1st quarter 2022.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Rosé, base 2019, is bright, lifted and refreshing. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, white pepper and chalk are very nicely delineated. There's terrific depth and texture to fill out the soft, curvy contours. The 2019 base Rosé is fabulous. In fact, it is one of the best recent releases I can remember tasting. Dosage is 5.1 grams per liter. Disgorged: 3rd quarter 2022.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rosé is a pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality. Billecart-Salmon's NV Brut Rose is a reliably tasty wine. This is Lot L26712406690A. Disgorged September 2010.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rosé emerges from the glass with the essence of freshly cut flowers, berries and minerals in a mid-weight, gracious style. It shows gorgeous inner perfume, along with persistent notes of chalkiness that frame the long, sublime finish. Year in year out, this the estate's NV Brut Rosé is one of the most consistently outstanding wines in the region. This is Lot 337014 -3671A. Disgorged June 30th, 2010.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The NV Brut Rosé is beautifully balanced in its layers of perfumed red fruit, berries and flowers. Clean, mineral notes frame a silky, sensual finish. Billecart-Salmon's NV Brut Rosé is one of the most consistently delicious rosés readers are likely to fine. This is Lot L779914 30209M.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
(45% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L206454 17741): Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this cuvée, but with no lack of vivacity.
About the Producer
Founded by Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818, Billecart-Salmon is one of the few Champagne houses to be owned and managed by the original family. Today, François and Antoine Roland-Billecart continue the family legend, hand-crafting delicate and elegant wines with crystal-clear fidelity, using a technique of cool long fermentation pioneered by the house in 1952. All of the base wines go through a cold settling at 8℃ and a very cold fermentation just under 13℃ that takes between three weeks and a month, which is a longer time frame than other producers. This practice was initiated in 1958, making Billecart-Salmon the first and the only Champagne house to do so at present. One of the highlights of the house is the cuvée created as a tribute to the house’s founders. The Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is generous, fine and rich, sourced exclusively from the grands crus of Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims.
