Founded in 1818 by husband and wife Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, the Billecart-Salmon House is rich with history. For nearly two hundred years, the Billecart family has been handing down the secrets to making exceptional champagne from generation to generation. The Champagne House is special for many reasons, but one notable reason is that it is one of very few to remain Family owned. The Billecart-Salmon House covers around 50 hectares, and gets its grapes from a total of 170 hectares of land. Frequently cited for the quality of its vintages, the House pays particular attention to selecting the best grapes.

The levels of minerality and mouth filling texture crank up a notch here, elongating and drawing the wine out with lingering persistence. A wine of tremendous, coiled-up energy, in a finely-honed style built around beautifully structured chardonnay blended from across the Côtes des Blancs – no mean feat, with four-fifths of the blend from the lesser 2005 vintage. White flowers, white fruits and lemon citrus are all present here, with almond notes on the finish. Partial malolactic fermentation (with 2g/L of malic acidity remaining to keep it defined and fresh) and a low dosage of 8g/L sugar keeps everything in consummate balance. Domi recommends it with seafood, particularly white fish and oysters. 96 points; Tyson Stelzer; The Champagne Guide

From the five grand crus of the Cote de Blancs, the lion’s share from Avize, the base wine from 2009 (75%), the 25% reserve wines a multi vintage blend kept in tank. Billecart makes finely detailed and elegant wine, and this is all of that. The bouquet is intense yet fine, with citrus blossom to the fore setting the scene for the purity of the tightly wound palate, its length and finesse built around a core of minerally acidity. Rating: 95 Points; Top 100 Wines of 2016; James Halliday Wine Companion