2012 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Louis Blanc de Blancs

Toasty, smoky nose with cooked-apple fruit and a long yoghurt-type persistence. On the lighter side of Blanc de Blancs. (RH)

The 2012 Champagne Louis Salmon Blanc De Blancs is entirely from Côte de Blancs Grand Cru villages and saw 25% oak vinification, with most of the malo blocked to retain freshness. Initially, it opens to citrus-driven aromas of lime, but as it opens in the glass, it deepens to reveal notes of white peach, fresh bread, and a touch of toasted spice, with its portion of oak just highlighting the edges of the wine. The palate offers intensity without austerity, with a good, profound, layered feel, and it has a pillowy and elegant mousse, a coating texture of citrus oil, and a long finish. It’s already hard to resist but will improve with time. It’s a wonderful wine for Billecart-Salmon in this vintage. Bravo. Drink 2026-2046. It saw 3.9 grams per liter dosage and 4.4 grams in the final wine.

Originating from a mid-September harvest following a mildew-pressured season that resulted in comparatively low yields, the 2012 Blanc de Blancs Louis Salmon has produced a flamboyant wine that blossoms in the glass with aromas of lemon confit, nashi pear, quince and peach mingled with almond paste and freshly baked bread. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, concentrated and profound, with ripe yet racy acidity and a layered core of fruit. Its textural attack segues into a resonant, pungently chalky mid-palate, concluding with a long, saline finish tinged with grapefruit. It is slightly more powerful than the 2013 rendition, exhibiting a subtle phenolic nuance; yet, it likewise reflects Billecart’s contemporary stylistic direction. Disgorged in January 2023 with a dosage of 3.9 grams per liter, only a quarter of the base wines were matured in barrel, while approximately 90% underwent malolactic fermentation. The blend is anchored in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, complemented by wines from Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry.