Founded in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in 1881 by married couple Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, the Billecart-Salmon Maison de Champagne is one of the few houses that is still family-run and is one of the most respected champagne houses in the world.
After seven generations and countless ups and downs, the Maison continues to follow the family tradition of “focussing on quality first to try and reach perfection” and, rather than just being a nice phrase, this philosophy has been made a reality, because not every winery can claim to have made “the champagne of the millennium”.
In 1999, Antoine Roland-Billecart (sixth generation of the family) secretly entered the 1959 millésime, which his father had identified as the house’s best champagne, and the 1961 millésime, which was the year he was born, into the “Champagne of the Millennium” tasting. The family refused to participate because they thought it was too risky.
The event was held in Stockholm and, after a blind tasting during which around 150 millésimes produced by the great Maisons de Champagne were tasted, the 1959 millésime, now known as La Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart, was chosen as the “Champagne of the Millennium”, the best champagne of the century. The 1961 millésime came in a magnificent second place. With this in mind, there can be no doubt about the extraordinary quality of the champagnes produced at Maison Billecart-Salmon.
Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve is a blend of three vintages made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes grown in the best vineyards of the Marne. A champagne that rests for a minimum of 30 months in the marvellous underground cellars with chalk walls that, since the 17th century, have been responsible for rounding off every Billecart-Salmon sparkling wine with unparalleled harmony, balance and elegance.