1998 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Rose

The 1998 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon reveals a degree of freshness and sheer cut that is missing from the 2000. With time in the glass, the wine's inner perfume emerge fully in sensual display of finesse. The 1998 is a worthy successor to the sublime 1996 as well as a great choice for medium-term drinking. The 2000 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinor Noir, of which 10% is still Pinot juice. In 1998 50% of the wine saw malolactic fermentation. Dosage was around 9 grams. This is Lot 785736 32707, disgorged November 2007.

The 1998 Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon reveals a degree of freshness and sheer cut that is missing from the 2000. With time in the glass, the wine’s inner perfume emerges fully in a sensual display of finesse. The 1998 is a worthy successor to the sublime 1996 as well as a great choice for medium-term drinking. The 2000 Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, of which 10% is still Pinot juice. In 1998, 50% of the wine saw malolactic fermentation. Dosage was around 9 grams. This is Lot 785736 32707, disgorged November, 2007. Billecart-Salmon, based in Mareuil-sur-Ay, makes wines in a style that is all about timeless elegance. These Champagnes are characterized by their supreme balance. All of the 2008 vins claires I tasted showed remarkable harmony and transparency of site. Much of the aromatic complexity of the wines can be attributed to a preference towards cold temperatures in fermentation, which keeps the wines fresh. The domaine uses Burgundian oak barrels for a portion of the wines. The exact amount of batonnage and malolactic fermentation depend on the vintage. Prior to being bottled the wines are blended in a large steel tank to insure consistency, something the estate takes very seriously. In general the non-vintage wines receive 7-9 grams of dosage, while the vintage wines have 5-7 grams, depending on the year. Among current releases, I found the 1998s to be brilliant, while the 2000s, from a much more challenging growing season, come across as less refined. The estate does not disclose disgorgement dates, but a code on the foil wrapping can be traced back to a date. Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 332-4999

The 1998 Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon reveals a degree of freshness and sheer cut that is missing from the 2000. With time in the glass, the wine’s inner perfume emerges fully in a sensual display of finesse. The 1998 is a worthy successor to the sublime 1996 as well as a great choice for medium-term drinking. The 2000 Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, of which 10% is still Pinot juice. In 1998, 50% of the wine saw malolactic fermentation. Dosage was around 9 grams. This is Lot 785736 32707, disgorged November, 2007. Dec 2008, www.robertparker.com