Burgundy & Champagne
Timed Online Auction, 2 - 12 June 2023
Champagne & Burgundy
About the SessionThe wines of Burgundy and single vineyard Champagnes are produced in small quantities and command high prices. Rarely traded, mature bottles are even more rare in our small market.
About this Item
The champagnes of Maison Billecart-Salmon are above all created thanks to the knowledge of the men 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.
Provenance
Private Client
Critics Ratings
'The 1998 Cuveé Nicolas François Billecart (60% Pinot, 40% Chardonnay) is another beautiful wine. The aromas are especially captivating and highly suggestive of Pinot, but the Chardonnay seems to take center stage on the palate, where the fruit is highly expressive. Like the Blanc de Blancs, the wine saw 50% malolactic fermentation and only 5% of the wine was aged in oak as the estate was in its early days of using oak and wisely chose a moderate approach.’ - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 94/100 (Feb 2012)
‘Mature and savoury, this 1998 presents invitingly dark-fruited Pinot characters with blackberry and dried raspberry notes, enriched with browned pastry and honey. Tertiary complexity is creeping in with hints of seaweed and spice, and the palate shows some candied citrus weight typical of the year, alongside an alluring buttery richness. A fine 1998. Made from 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay, with 1.5% barrel fermentation.’ - Tom Hewson, Decanter.com, 94/100 (May 2023)
‘Disgorged in 2009, the 1998 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François is arriving at full maturity, wafting from the glass with aromas of mandarin oil, warm biscuits, dried fruits and spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, elegantly creamy and enveloping, with a textural but incisive profile, lively acids and a long, sapid finish.’ - William Kelley, Wine Advocate, 93/100 (Aug 2019)
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