2009 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Louis Blanc de Blancs Millesime Champagne 750 ml

Cuvée Louis Salmon is crafted from Grand Cru Chardonnay from Chouilly, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, and Avize. It’s named in tribute to Louis Salmon, the brother of Elisabeth Salmon, whose marriage to Nicolas François Billecart begat the Billecart-Salmon Champagne house, which has now been stewarded by seven generations of the family. Louis Salmon, a dedicated oenologist, is perhaps the key figure in the trajectory of the estate. 

The importance of this 19th-century estate is best demonstrated by the story of two wine titans: Neal Rosenthal and Robert Chadderdon. In his book, Reflections of a Wine Merchant, Rosenthal recalls the time in 1979 when he went on the hunt for an exclusive Champagne for his New York shop, eventually finding it through Chadderdon, the notoriously mercurial importer. 

All was satisfactory between the men, and the Champagne was a sensation at Rosenthal’s shop. But then the relationship took a nosedive and Rosenthal soon found himself without even a case of Billecart-Salmon. In desperation, he went all the way to Mareuil-sur-Aÿ to plead with the proprietor face-to-face. That Neal Rosenthal believed Billecart-Salmon was essential to his survival, meriting a globe-spanning trip, speaks volumes of its importance among the upper echelon of Champagne.

After 200 years of operation, the house is still owned and operated by the Billecart family—and still producing the exquisite bubblies that have seduced countless wine lovers throughout the years. Their vintage Champagnes, like the 2009, are rested for a minimum of a decade before release—12 years in steel tanks, in the case of this bottle—allowing for intense, finely delineated flavor development. It’s patient, studied artistry in a bottle.