2012 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé

A delightful, barely brut sparkling Rosé from a favorite producer, recently disgorged in 2023, offering a complex array of aromas and flavors with a lingering finish.

Producer

Billecart-Salmon

Region

Champagne

Country

France

Varietal

Chardonnay

Varietal Composition

55% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir

Specifications

2012

Vintage

2039

Drink By

ABV

Vinification

Grapes are from multiple Grand Cru and 1er Cru vineyards. Some are vinified in oak. The blend is aged on the lees and in the cellar for 115 months

Occasional wine note

This has to be our favorite sparkling Rosé. It's no surprise that it comes from one of our favorite producers. It is a brut, but at <4g/L, it's just barely that. As it was just disgorged in 2023, we should expect this to actually get better over the next few years. This one delivers a veritable smorgasbord of aromas, flavors and textures that just compliment each other from the first swirl of the glass to that finish that just lingers wonderfully.

What experts say about this wine

100

James Suckling

Delicious yeasty and spicy undertones. Excellent density and focus, with fine and firm bubbles, yet it’s light on its feet and so fresh. Long, chalky and salty at the end.

100

Vinous

The 2012 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elizabeth Salmon offers up hints of red berry fruit, ginger, spice, rosewater, mint and crushed flowers. There is a feeling of classic austerity that runs through the 2012. I would prefer to cellar this for at least a few years, as it is quite reticent at this stage. Chalk, mint, white pepper and bright saline accents linger on the pointed finish. Dosage is 3.8 grams per liter. Disgorged: first trimester 2023.

pairing recommendation