Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois

A truely unique cuvée from Billecart Salmon, which is entirely vinified in oak! This is an unusual technique for Champagne but one that makes this an incredible and different style of Champagne. It totally masters the art of blending by renewing the ancestral spirit and savoir-faire of the original champagnes.

Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Vallée de la Marne, Champagne, France.

Sustainable.

NV

12%

75cl

Please note: technical information such as vintage and ABV are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please get in touch.

MORE INFORMATION

Producer

Billecart Salmon is a champagne house synonymous with exceptional quality whilst still remaining very true to its roots. It all started in 1818 when Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon were married, marking the creation of their Champagne House. This has been a family story since the beginning with Louis Salmon, brother of Elisabeth and a passionate oenologist, getting involved in the creation of the wines. Today, the house remains family owned and is headed up by 7th generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart who is an incredibly passionate ambassador for his wines. Over the 7 generations, each member of the family has endeavoured to continue the family tradition, staying faithful to the same motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence”.

Despite being a relatively big house, Billecart remain a little more hidden from the limelight and there’s a certain ‘if you know, you know’ quality to them. This could be due to how they choose to distrubute their wines- it’s unlikely you’ll find them in supermarkets and major retailers. Instead, Billecart focused on premium restaurants and small retailers as trusted sources to sell their champagnes. In fact, they came to check out our shop to ensure we were the right fit for their brand! Thankfully, they liked our set up and we feel incredibly grateful to stock a full range of their wines.

Viticulture

The champagnes of Maison Billecart-Salmon are above all created thanks to the knowledge of those who rigorously cultivate an estate of 100 hectares, obtaining grapes from an area totalling 300 hectares across 40 crus of the Champagne region. 

The majority of the grapes used for vinification come from a radius of 20km around Epernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the ethereal vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. 

Billecart Salmon are committed to sustainability and the House has long been convinced that such a course of action is essential in the pursuit of environmental sustainability. The House’s philosophy is simple: respect the terroir in order to produce great wines. They have long focused on managing their vineyards with the utmost respect for the environment. But, beyond a simple approach is a long-term commitment to sustainability. Since being certified by the High Environmental Value and Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne in 2017, they have worked to remove all herbicides from their vineyards, use organic fertilisers and plant-based preperations, continue with their biodiversity work and are looking to start organic conversion.

The grapes for this cuvee come from a variety of sites across Champagne. The Chardonnay grapes come from Premier and Grand Cru sites in the Côte des Blancs, the Pinot Noir from Premier and Grand Cru sites in Montagne de Reims, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and the Pinot Meunier from he right bank of the Vallée de la Marne.

Winemaking

1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Pinot Meunier. Grapes start off with cold settling (allowing the skins and any solids to settle at the bottom of the tank at cold temperatures), a process that has been part of Billecart’s winemaking since the fifties. Fermentation for this cuvee is slightly different to other Billecart cuvees as it takes place entirely in oak casks at a low temperatures. The wine undergoing partial malolactic fermentation and is aged in oak. Low temperatue vinification is another signature within their winemaking as it slows down the fermentation process and encouraging ethereal, delicate aromas as well as allowing all the purity of the fruit to be expressed. Vinification is carried out cru by cru and grape variety by grape variety to allow the nuances of expression of the terroir. The wine spends 6 to 7 years on the lees in Billecart’s chalk cellars and between 30%-35% of the blend comes from reserve wines. Dosage is adjusted to 7g/l.

Taste

There are a rich aromas, harmoniously expressed as dried fruits, fresh citrus and white flesh fruits. That, coupled with finely buttered seductive notes, grilled brioche and toffee lead to a burst of flavours thanks to the distinguished power and maturity which is a mark of any great wine of Champagne.

Food Pairing

An ideal accompaniment to poultry dishes, Girolle mushrooms or dishes with an earthy undertone. Also a great one to try with Comté and will also age for around 5 to 6 years.