Let it be known; I love Champagne. From Grower producers to the larger Maisons, I indulge in it all. However, when I think about wines produced at the highest level, by families who have been disgorging Champagne since as early as the 19th century, only a handful of names come to mind. Today’s offer focuses on one of those families which I hold incredibly high in regard.

Billecart-Salmon has been producing Champagne in the region of Marueil-Sur-Ay since 1818, the product of a marriage between Nicolas Francois Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Today, the house is managed by seventh-generation proprietors Francois and Antoine Roland-Billecart, and the cellars are in the hands of Chef de Cave Francois Domi.

While the Billecart-Salmon style has become synonymous with finesse and balance, it does not come without a heavy dose of depth and power. Today, we are inviting you to experience the tradition of this legendary house by showcasing three separate bottlings that demonstrate the class and diverse complexity of their world-renowned Champagne.

The non-vintage Blanc de Blancs, first produced in 1997, comes from a blend of Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes from Avize, Cramant, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, in the Côte des Blancs. Like a complex dish utilizing a recipe of several different herbs and spices, Cramant and Chouilly provide the minerality, while Mesnil supplies the structure that will allow the wine to age. The last piece to the puzzle comes from Avize, which always represents the largest proportion of the wine, and accounts for a third of the overall blend.

“Our image of chardonnay is not only something airy and delicate,” Francois Domi tells famed Champagne critic Peter Liem. “It must also be ample and round on the palate, and that’s why we like Avize.”

In 2009, Billecart-Salmon released a vintage Extra Brut cuvée. This special bottling, seen by the house as a meeting point between the non-vintage cuvées and their prestige cuvées, is made of Pinot Noir largely from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. After nine years of aging on the lees, the end result is a crystalline Champagne with a taut and zesty character on the palate. The wine offers a lengthy finish with a smoothness of great class, alongside elegance and great persistence.

Last but certainly not least, the non-vintage rosé is undoubtedly the most famous wine in the Billecart-Salmon portfolio. Renowned for its pale, elegant color and remarkable precision on the palate, the blend is always made up of 40 percent chardonnay, 30 percent Pinot Noir and 30 percent Pinot Meunier. Red wine is blended in to provide balance between the texture and color, of course. On the palate, the wine exhibits an outstanding tactile sensation with a creamy mouthfeel, accompanied by character of wild strawberries and a slightly raspberry finish. Some would argue, the Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé is the benchmark amongst French Rosé Champagnes.

It is my absolute pleasure to bring this offer to you today, as it comes alongside the sharpest pricing you are going to find on the market. Stock up for the holidays and as always, feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers! - Carey Vanderborg, Wine Director

NV Brut Rosé

Mayacama Member Price: $85

NV Blanc de Blancs

Mayacama Member Price: $85

2008 Extra Brut

Mayacama Member Price: $95

6-bottle minimum, mix & match, 3-bottle max of the Extra Brut