2008 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François Champagne (1.5 L) Magnum

In August 2008, the Champenois were not sanguine about the season. 

The spring was frosty. Then it hailed. July was chilly and wet. A cold August didn’t offer much help—but hey, at least it was dry.

Then came a glorious September. The sun emerged, raising temperatures but remaining mild enough to stretch the ripening period until early October. Winemakers stood agape at the beautiful and unhurried harvest. The season’s dismal start became a distant memory, and as the work shifted to the cellar, the buzz was that ‘08 might turn out to be one of the greatest vintages Champagne had ever seen. 

When it came time to judge, Wine Advocate settled on 99 points—a number that no vintage before or after has ever earned. Decanter dubbed it a “miracle year”—and Billecart-Salmon’s Cuvée Nicolas François is one of its triumphs.

Champagne Billecart dates back to 1818, when the Billecart and Salmon families merged to form the house as it stands. François and Antoine Roland-Billecart run the show today, representing the seventh generation to do so. But it was their grandfather who created the Cuvée Nicolas François, which was first bottled in 1964, as a tribute to the house’s founder. It was then and has remained a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. The 2008 was blended from 83% Grand Cru and 17% Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims (Pinot Noir) and Côte de Blancs (Chardonnay). 

This cuvée sees a touch of neutral oak (17%), lending it just enough wood to sustain the wine’s ten-plus years of aging on the lees. In the end it sees a light dosage, leaving it dry enough on the finish to allow the wine a slow, deep bow into the twilight.