2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne

Tasted from magnum. Alongside the main release in 75cl, a limited number of magnums of 2012 Elisabeth Salmon have been released simultaneously. The differences are marked – the magnum presents a hugely engaging sparky, spicy and charry energy that lifts up the Chardonnay presence in the wine and plays beautifully with the allspice, pepper and rose detail that sits above peach melba, raspberry and black cherry fruit. There is plenty of immediate pleasure in what is a medium-bodied, restrained take on 2012, although this is a wine that – especially in magnum – looks set for a long window of enjoyment with its delicately insistent tension. 55% Chardonnay from Chouilly, Avize, Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger with 45% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Ambonnay, with 8.3% red wine addition from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. 2.9% fermented in barrel, and released after 115 months on lees with a dosage of 3.8g/L (TH)

The blend of the 2012 Champagne Elisabeth Salmon is includes 55% Chardonnay along with 10% red wine, the majority of which was raised in stainless steel, with a 3% splash raised in oak. It pours a deeper salmon orange tinge and is a more assertive wine in the glass, with notes of spice, smoky wet stones, peach, almond, and fruitcake. Medium to full-bodied and assertive, it holds its mousse together more clearly and has more transparency, with a pomegranate texture, and is long on the palate. This structured wine will benefit from another year or two in bottle before drinking over the following 15 or more years. Disgorged January 2023, 3.8 dosage; total in the final wine is 4 grams per liter. (AF) 96+

If you were one of K&L’s lucky customers to taste Billecart-Salmon's 2010 Brut Rosé Champagne and were appropriately blown away by its unique depth and complexity, then I am thrilled to announce the release of their 2012 “Cuvée Elizabeth Salmon” Brut Rosé Champagne. The 2010 Rosé was intended to be “Cuvée Elizabeth”, but the house believed it didn’t have the aging potential they wanted. To be clear – the 2010 Brut Rosé is NOT “Cuvée Elizabeth!” It’s a different champagne, but a magnificent tease of what is possible at rosé champagne’s highest level, which has now been achieved with the electrifying 2012 “Cuvée Elizabeth.” First, the pedigree. In 1988, this cuvée was created to honor the 206-year-old Grand Maison’s elegant co-founder Elisabeth Salmon. The cool 2012 Champagne vintage was declared epic at harvest and age has only added to its legendary reputation. The “Cuvée Elizabeth” is an assemblage of 55% Grand Cru Chardonnay (Chouilly, Avize, Mesnil, Cramant) and 45% Grand and 1er Cru Pinot Noir (Aÿ, Ambonnay, Mareuil-sur- Aÿ), with a little less than 10% of the Pinot Noir sourced from old vines in Billecart’s home of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ’s Valofroy vineyard to give the rosé its color and special character. Just under 3% of the wine was vinified in oak casks to add richness and aromatics, it was aged on the lees for 9 ½ years, and finally, after disgorgement in early 2023, was dosed at a low 3.8g/l. Second, the achievement. A royal golden salmon color, tight brisk bead, and layered aromatics are a premonition of the champagne’s artistry. Racy acidity delivers flavors that are simultaneously rich and bold but light, soft, and plush on the palate. It has an enormous depth of ripe but subtle red fruit, hazelnut, almond biscotti, saline, stone fruit, flowers, spice, green apple, sea air, and an undertow of chalky minerality that you would expect from Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. A long, refined, and dry finish lingers on the palate. There’s no question about the aging potential of this “Cuvée Elizabeth.” It's exquisite and opulent today but will continue to evolve in the cellar for many years. This is a monumental rosé champagne from a remarkable vintage that should not be missed!