{"product_id":"the-three-pillars-of-billecart-salmon","title":"The Three Pillars of Billecart-Salmon","description":"\u003ch1\u003eThe Founding Family\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBillecart-Salmon's Three Great Cuvées\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree Historic Names. Three Extraordinary Champagnes. One Family Legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1818, a marriage in the small Champagne village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ brought together two families whose names would become inseparable from the history of great Champagne. Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon established a house that would endure through more than two centuries of changing tastes, extraordinary vintages, and generations of family stewardship. Elisabeth's brother, Louis Salmon, joined them as the house's first winemaker, helping establish the foundations of a winemaking philosophy that continues to distinguish Billecart-Salmon today. What began as a family undertaking in the early nineteenth century would grow into one of Champagne's most respected independent houses, celebrated for its remarkable precision, elegance, and unwavering commitment to quality. But perhaps the most extraordinary testament to that legacy is that the names of these three individuals still grace three of the house's greatest Champagnes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor The Founding Family, our SommSelect team has brought together the three exceptional prestige cuvées that honor the people behind this remarkable story. The 2015 Cuvée Nicolas François celebrates the house's founder through a masterful blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while the 2013 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé pays tribute to its co-founder with one of Champagne's most distinguished expressions of vintage rosé. Completing the collection, the 2013 Cuvée Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs honors the family's first winemaker through an extraordinary expression of Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. Together, these wines offer more than a tasting of three remarkable Champagnes. They reveal the diversity of a single house's craftsmanship, the distinctive character of two exceptional vintages, and the enduring influence of the family whose vision began it all. Three names that helped shape the history of Billecart-Salmon, celebrated more than 200 years later through the extraordinary wines that bear them\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/collections\/champagne-billecart-salmon\/products\/2015-champagne-billecart-salmon-cuvee-nicolas-francois-extra-brut\" title=\"2015 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Nicolas François” Extra Brut\"\u003e2015 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Nicolas François” Extra Brut\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Founder\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of Billecart-Salmon begins with Nicolas François Billecart, whose marriage to Elisabeth Salmon in 1818 established one of Champagne's most enduring family houses. Nearly a century and a half later, in 1964, the family created Cuvée Nicolas François in tribute to its founder, bringing together exceptional Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and Grande Vallée de la Marne with distinguished Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. The cuvée would go on to achieve extraordinary international recognition. At the celebrated Champagne of the Millennium blind tasting in 1999, the 1959 Cuvée Nicolas François was named the greatest Champagne of the twentieth century, with the house's 1961 vintage finishing second. Few prestige cuvées can claim such a remarkable achievement, and it remains a defining moment in the history of Billecart-Salmon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2015 vintage offers a particularly generous expression of this historic wine. A warm, dry growing season produced beautifully concentrated fruit, while meticulous vineyard selection and partial fermentation in oak barrels preserved the elegance that defines the house. Aromas of ripe orchard fruit, mandarin, baked apple, toasted brioche, roasted almond, and delicate spice unfold across a beautifully textured palate, supported by vibrant citrus and a persistent chalky finish. Awarded 95 points by James Suckling, the wine demonstrates the extraordinary balance of richness and precision that has made Cuvée Nicolas François one of Champagne's most celebrated prestige bottlings. A fitting tribute to the man whose name began a Champagne dynasty more than two centuries ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/collections\/champagne-billecart-salmon\/products\/2013-champagne-billecart-salmon-cuvee-elisabeth-salmon-rose-extra-brut\" title=\"2013 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon” Rosé Extra Brut\"\u003e2013 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon” Rosé Extra Brut\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Co-Founder\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Elisabeth Salmon married Nicolas François Billecart in 1818, she became part of a partnership that would establish one of Champagne's most distinguished family houses. Her name remains an essential part of the estate's identity, and in 1988, the family honored her legacy with the creation of Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon, an extraordinary vintage rosé that has become one of the most celebrated wines in its category. Crafted from exceptional Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including a small proportion of still red wine from carefully selected Pinot Noir vineyards, the cuvée combines the delicacy and aromatic precision of great rosé Champagne with the structure and aging potential of a serious prestige wine. It is a remarkably fitting tribute to a woman whose name has remained inseparable from the house for more than 200 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exceptional 2013 vintage brought an extended, cool growing season and late harvest, producing wines of remarkable freshness, aromatic clarity, and natural acidity. After nearly a decade of maturation on the lees, the 2013 Elisabeth Salmon reveals an extraordinary interplay of wild strawberry, rose petal, blood orange, red cherry, pink peppercorn, and delicate pastry notes. Its fine mousse and beautifully integrated texture are supported by vibrant acidity and a persistent chalky, saline finish. Awarded 98 points by Falstaff and 97 points by Vinous, this remarkable rosé possesses both the immediate beauty and long-term potential that distinguish Champagne's finest vintage bottlings. A wine of extraordinary elegance, honoring one of the two names at the very heart of Billecart-Salmon's history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/collections\/champagne-billecart-salmon\/products\/2013-champagne-billecart-salmon-cuvee-louis-salmon-blanc-de-blancs-extra-brut\" title=\"2013 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Louis Salmon” Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut\"\u003e2013 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Louis Salmon” Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe First Winemaker\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBehind every great Champagne house is a winemaking philosophy, and at Billecart-Salmon, that story begins with Louis Salmon. The brother of co-founder Elisabeth Salmon, Louis served as the house's first winemaker, helping establish the standards of craftsmanship that would guide generations of cellar masters. His contribution is celebrated through Cuvée Louis Salmon, the house's exceptional vintage Blanc de Blancs, produced exclusively from Chardonnay grown in the celebrated Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs. Sourced primarily from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, and Cramant, the wine expresses the remarkable precision, tension, and chalk-driven minerality that have made this stretch of Champagne among the world's greatest terroirs for Chardonnay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2013 vintage is an especially compelling expression of that heritage. The same long, cool growing season that shaped the Elisabeth Salmon Rosé produced Chardonnay of exceptional purity and natural acidity, giving the Louis Salmon remarkable energy and aging potential. Partial maturation in seasoned oak barrels introduces subtle richness without obscuring the crystalline character of the fruit. Layers of lemon confit, white flowers, toasted hazelnut, fresh brioche, and crushed chalk unfold across a remarkably focused palate, finishing with persistent saline minerality. Awarded 97 points by Vinous, the wine represents an extraordinary marriage of Grand Cru terroir, patient cellar work, and uncompromising precision. More than two centuries after Louis Salmon helped establish the house's winemaking traditions, this exceptional Blanc de Blancs stands as a remarkable testament to his enduring legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SommSelect","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48395772362806,"sku":null,"price":715.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/billecart-salmon-champagne-pack.png?v=1793339029","url":"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/products\/the-three-pillars-of-billecart-salmon","provider":"SommSelect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}