Champagne Billecart-Salmon

Founded in 1818, Billecart-Salmon is the oldest continuously family-owned Champagne house. Over 200 years since, the house has built a reputation for crafting truly elegant and balanced Champagnes.

The marriage of Nicolas-Francois Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818 marked the founding of Maison Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay, the family’s hometown. The couple set about building the winery almost immediately, just East of Epernay. Louis Salmon, Elisabeth’s brother and a passionate oenologist, joined the couple at the winery and dedicated himself to the creation of the wines. Louis’ dedication to excellence set a template that has never wavered. Today, led by seventh generation heir Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the family continues this commitment and is faithful to the family motto: ‘quality first and strive for excellence.’

In the 1950’s, inspired by the traditional methods used by brewers, the house introduced new vinification techniques. Using longer fermentation at lower temperatures, combined with cold settling, each vineyard parcel was able to be fermented separately to preserve individual terroir. This technique encourages aromatic delicacy and purity of fruit, the signature of Billecart-Salmon.

Today, Billecart farms an estate of 200 hectares to exacting standards and sources grapes from a further 100 hectares across 40 Champagne Crus. The majority of fruit comes from a radius of 20km around Epernay in the vineyards of Montagne de Reims, Vallee de la Marne, and the Cote de Blancs. Here one can find the greatest concentration of Grand Cru Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.

In the deep, cool chalk cellars of the house the wines undergo a minimum of three years aging on the lees, and a minimum of ten years for vintage wines, allowing the wines to achieve their full potential. This patience is the final step in producing the timeless Champagnes of Billecart-Salmon.