Champagne for Valentine’s Day
Raise a glass of sparkling Billecart-Salmon Rosé on the 14th February. VS recommends the finest vintage with which to wow your Valentine
By Estella Shardlow on Tuesday 31st January, 2012
“Great love affairs start with Champagne,” declared 19th century novelist Honore de Balzac. Being French and the author of two treatises on marriage, I suppose he would know all about such matters. Champagne is synonymous with romance and the Rosé variety in particular, with its resonances of rose petals, summer fruits and flushed cheeks.
Billecart-Salmon was born in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, who fell in love with the same terroir and decided to found a Champagne House in the village of Mareuil-sur-Ay, near Epernay. Through the centuries it has remained a family affair, with the seventh generation Francois and Antoine Roland-Billecart at the helm. No surprise then that Billecart-Salmon is so often chosen to initiate and celebrate engagements.
Yet this charming backstory is just one facet of Billecart-Salmon’s appeal; it also has serious vinicultural credentials and is a favourite of connoisseurs. Take, for example, the fact that the Nicolas François Billecart 1959 vintage was voted the ‘Champagne of the Millennium’ by a committee of experts in a blind international tasting of 150 vintages from the world’s producers in 1999. Meanwhile, the Brut Rosé followed suit as it was awarded the title of ‘Best Brut Non-Vintage’ by La Revue du Vin de France’s expert panel in 2010.
So what makes this cuvée so outstanding? The location in which Nicolas François and Elisabeth chose to found their Champagne House plays a key role, as Epernay is home to the greatest vintages of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes. Then it’s down to production secrets handed down through the generations, as the three grape varieties are blended and vinified as red wine using well-guarded vinification methods dating back to the origins of the House of Billecart-Salmon.
What results is an elegant rose-gold cuvée, reminiscent of scales glinting on a salmon’s back (in contrast to the garish pink hues of many lesser Rosé Champagnes). On the nose, a delicate yet zesty bouquet of red fruits and citrus refrains from being too cloying or floral. This elegance and restraint continues on the palate, which is velvety, juicy and effervescent, concluded with a fresh raspberry-laced finish.
Whether you enjoy it with salmon, a red fruit pudding or as an aperitif, make sure the setting is suitably romantic.
‘Say It With Bubbles’
Receive a complementary half bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV at selected restaurants when you order a bottle with your meal. You’ll also receive a questionnaire to enter into a draw, with prizes including a set of Baccarat champagne flutes or a luxury break to Thailand. The restaurants and hotels in the promotion include Nobu, Heston Blumenthal's Dinner and Bar Boulud. And it’s not just limited to London, as the Sharrow Bay Hotel in Cumbria, Bovey Castle in Devon, and Cambridgeshire's The Old Bridge Hotel are also taking part. For more details visit www.champagne-billecart.com
