{"product_id":"2013-champagne-billecart-salmon-cuvee-louis-salmon-blanc-de-blancs-extra-brut","title":"2013 Champagne Billecart-Salmon, \"Cuvée Louis Salmon\" Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut","description":"\u003cp\u003eNamed in honor of Louis Salmon, brother of co-founder Elisabeth Salmon and the estate's very first chief winemaker, this prestige cuvée represents the pinnacle of Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from Billecart-Salmon. Sourced exclusively from legendary Grand Cru villages in the Côte des Blancs (principally Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, and Cramant), the 2013 harvest yielded an exceptional expression defined by crystalline chalk purity, long cellaring potential, and vibrant natural tension.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUniquely, Billecart-Salmon ages approximately 25-30% of the base wine in neutral oak barrels to build texture and complexity, while preserving the pristine minerality of the limestone terroir. Resting on its lees in the estate's 17th-century chalk cellars for nearly a decade prior to disgorgement with a low Extra Brut dosage, the 2013 \"Cuvée Louis Salmon\" is a study in finesse: lemon confit, toasted hazelnuts, white floral scents, fresh brioche, and a chalky, saline mineral drive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCritical Acclaim:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e97 points, Vinous Media:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \" ... an exceptional follow-up to the 2012. Naturally, the 2013 offers a bit more tension, cut and drive, all signatures of this late-ripening vintage. Chalk, slate, crushed rocks, citrus confit and hazelnut all race across the palate as the 2013 sizzles with tension from start to finish. This is still a baby. Give it time. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e96+ points, Wine Advocate: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\" ... stands as the most characterful wine of the new lineup, expressing itself from the glass with aromas of early-blooming white flowers, lemon oil, nashi pear and almond paste mingled with cardamom, oyster shell and freshly baked bread. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied and elegantly muscular, with a tensile core of crystalline purity, racy acids and ample chalky extract. Harvested in October, it derives from the communes of Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry and was vinified entirely in stainless steel with full malolactic fermentation in pursuit of greater harmony in a cool-profile vintage such as this.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e96 points, JebDunnuck.com:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\" .. a stunning wine produced from the villages of Cramant, Chouilly, Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Oiry, and was raised in stainless steel. Displaying a golden yellow hue, it is incredibly expressive, offering elegance and depth, with notes of preserved lemon, poppy seed cake, custard, poached apple, pineapples, and salty earth. Long and full on the palate, it’s quite complete and has verticality that drives the wine.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e96 points, JamesSuckling\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\" ... very pure and fresh, showing white flowers, light hazelnuts, peaches and grapefruit on the nose, with a hint of oyster shells. It's sleek and chalky on the palate, linear and racy, with very fine bubbles and a bright acidic backbone. 100% stainless steel vinification. Chardonnay from Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and some Oiry. 4 g\/L dosage. Disgorged January 2024. \"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe ultimate Blanc de Blancs prestige cuvée from Billecart-Salmon, sourced from premier Grand Cru sites in the Côte des Blancs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePartial oak cask aging endows the wine with a silky mid-palate texture and autolytic depth without masking chalk purity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA decade of slow lees maturation produces a seamless balance of fresh citrus, brioche, and salty minerality.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuilt with incredible structural precision and razor-sharp acidity that will allow it to age gracefully for decades.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe chilled between 48°F and 52°F to allow its complex, multi-layered bouquet to open up.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo decanting necessary; pour directly and allow the fine mousse to unfold in the glass over 20 minutes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse all-purpose white wine stems to gather its high-toned floral and mineral aromatics.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn ideal match for raw oysters, sea scallop carpaccio, turbot in champagne sauce, or aged Comté.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"SommSelect","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47919857139766,"sku":"SOMM2609-BSAL13LSBB-750","price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/2013ChampagneBillecart-Salmon_CuveeLouisSalmonBlancdeBlancsExtraBrut.png?v=1790723337","url":"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/products\/2013-champagne-billecart-salmon-cuvee-louis-salmon-blanc-de-blancs-extra-brut","provider":"SommSelect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}