At first blush (pardon the pun), this perennial best seller and très elegant icebreaker needs little introduction. After all, over the years Billecart-Salmon's iconic brut rose has become justly famed for its subtle, pristine fruit and overall sense of refinement. Fundamental to achieving this expressive fruit profile is the house's long-standing practice of having their field workers pick early for freshness and acidity. It should be noted that Billecart-Salmon pays their pickers by hour, not by the fruit bin, to encourage this selectivity. The harvested grapes are then chilled in a cold room overnight to retain their acidity before crushing. Also vital is the firm's technique of double cold settling to remove the coarser lees from the must, without oxidation, before it undergoes a long, cold fermentation. Starting with in the 2019 harvest, Antoine Roland-Billecart and cellarmaster Florent Nys decided to "mess with success" by increasing the amount of older reserve wines in the cuvée while also cutting back the dosage from nine grams per liter down to just under five grams. Speaking of dosage, Antone says, "It's like makeup. You don't need it if there is no problem, and if you want to show the real character of the wines." To mark these significant enhancements, the House has changed the moniker of the Champagne to "Le Rose." Let us just say that if you loved the Billecart Rose in the past (as we did), we know you will love this new expression even more. In fact, we were so smitten with this "Le Rose" we invested in a substantial parcel of it (at a discounted price) so that we could better tempt you to give it taste drive.
This latest edition of "Le Rose" is drawn 44% from the 2021 vintage freshened with 56% reserve wines (from 2018 through 2021) aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks. 45% of the ensemble is Chardonnay drawn from the best crus in the Champagne region, joined with 31% Meunier from the Grande Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay, and 24% Pinot Noir (less than 8% being still red) from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne. The combination of maturity and freshness builds layers of complexity and depth to the reserve wines of the House. The wine was aged on the lees for approximately two years and disgorged in the spring of 2004 with an Extra Brut dosage of 4.9 grams per liter.
JAMES SUCKLING 94 POINTS - "A gorgeous rosé Champagne with sliced strawberries, orange peel and hints of cream and pie crust. Medium body, tight and integrated tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Tangy acidity. The texture shows a fine bead and lightness. Long and intense. Drink now."
WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - Sleek and finely knit, with a lovely, satiny mousse gliding across the palate, carrying flavors of white raspberry, peach skin, blanched almond and oyster shell. Long and mouthwatering, with hints of ground ginger and pink grapefruit pith on the elegant finish. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. (AN, Web-2023)
This latest edition of "Le Rose" is drawn 44% from the 2021 vintage freshened with 56% reserve wines (from 2018 through 2021) aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks. 45% of the ensemble is Chardonnay drawn from the best crus in the Champagne region, joined with 31% Meunier from the Grande Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay, and 24% Pinot Noir (less than 8% being still red) from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne. The combination of maturity and freshness builds layers of complexity and depth to the reserve wines of the House. The wine was aged on the lees for approximately two years and disgorged in the spring of 2004 with an Extra Brut dosage of 4.9 grams per liter.
JAMES SUCKLING 94 POINTS - "A gorgeous rosé Champagne with sliced strawberries, orange peel and hints of cream and pie crust. Medium body, tight and integrated tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Tangy acidity. The texture shows a fine bead and lightness. Long and intense. Drink now."
WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - Sleek and finely knit, with a lovely, satiny mousse gliding across the palate, carrying flavors of white raspberry, peach skin, blanched almond and oyster shell. Long and mouthwatering, with hints of ground ginger and pink grapefruit pith on the elegant finish. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. (AN, Web-2023)
