2012 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rose Champagne 750 ml

Every wine lover knows Billecart-Salmon. But find someone with the 2012 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon in their cellar, and you’ve discovered a true aficionado. 

From the house whose name is synonymous with rosé Champagne excellence, this flagship bottling might be the category’s ultimate expression—a wine that stands with Dom Pérignon, Cristal, and others that fetch $500 or more. The 2012, grown in a spectacular vintage and released after an incredible 110 months on the lees, earned a 96-point score from Antonio Galloni of Vinous.

Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon’s 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay come primarily from Grand Cru vineyards, yet its most distinctive source is a Premier Cru site called Valofroy. At this plot, the Pinot Noir vines are up to 80 years old, and the grapes they contribute lend not just gorgeous color but also richness and power. 

Billecart-Salmon takes a conservative, meticulous approach in the vineyard. They harvest earlier than most houses, achieving the maturity needed to produce intense, extroverted wines while preserving the delicate acidity that keeps them refined and fresh. 

That balance plays out beautifully in this wine, which bursts with red fruit, citrus, and pastry aromas. A decade of aging on the lees has imbued the palate with a seductive texture, yet the wine remains remarkably dynamic, with vibrant acidity and a refreshing mineral undercurrent. A light dosage leaves the wine dry enough on the finish for a slow retreat into the twilight. 

Billecart-Salmon is the oldest continuously family-owned Champagne house, dating back to the 1818 marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, this cuvée’s namesake. After all these years, this 2012 shows that Billecart has never been better.