2013 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne 1.5L 3 bottle case

Despite 2013's late-harvest freshness, Billecart-Salmon has turned out an Elizabeth rosé of some immediate appeal and elegance, gracefully built with some red plum and cherry Pinot sweetness, orange citrus, nougat and persistent lemon oil Chardonnay providing tension. For a 2013 this is far from austere, but rather fruit-forward, perfectly assembled and restrained, actually appearing less tightly wound than the 2012 in youth. As with the Louis blanc de blancs of the same vintage, it remains a little shy in terms of complexity and detail when young, yet seems perfectly built to reveal this over time. (TH)

Disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of 4.4 grams per liter, the 2013 Rosé Elisabeth Salmon emerges from this cool, late-ripening vintage as a rather giving, generous rendition. It unfurls in the glass with aromas of dried apricot, dark cherry and grapefruit mingled with a subtle hint of mocha. On the palate, it is full-bodied, ample and enveloping, offering a sweetly fruited core underpinned by tangy acidity, culminating in a precise, perfumed finish. This is a fleshy, though somewhat old-fashioned Champagne that, at present, does not quite attain the depth of Louis Salmon of the same vintage; however, it would not be surprising to see it improve considerably with additional time on cork following disgorgement. It is composed of an almost equal blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and was vinified almost entirely in stainless steel, with full malolactic fermentation. 94+ (KK)