2006 billecart-salmon, elisabeth salmon brut rose
Why We're Buying
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Millésime is a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, the co-founder of the eponymous Champagne house. The cuvée transforms grapes into an art form, distinguishing itself with grandeur and refined character. In 2019, wine critic Antoine Gerbelle rated Billecart-Salmon as one of the world's ten best Champagne houses.
Critics Scores
James Suckling
Extremely fleshy, fresh and exuberant with unashamedly expressive red cherries, raspberries and strawberries, with cinnamon and other baking spices, too. Sleek, vinous and tangy. A clever wine for the playful fruit presence that belies the power and structure behind it. Hints of chocolate creep into the finish. Drink now.
Decanter
Created in 1988 in honour of Elisabeth Salmon, this has a rose-gold hue. About 10 of the 50 Pinot Noir used in the blend is vinified as a red wine, using grapes from the low-yielding, old vine Valofroy vineyard in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. As with the other two founder's cuvées, 5 of the blend is vinified in old oak casks and it's aged on its lees for 11 years, with partial malolactic fermentation, receiving a final dosage of 6g/l. It has quite a powerful nose of red apples, redcurrants, roses and vanilla, with a long, mineral palate of sweet citrus, ripe orchard fruit and toasted nuts. A lovely food wine.
Vinous
The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50 Pinot Noir and 50 Chardonnay, with about 8 still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.
Wine Enthusiast
Produced from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this balances ripe red berry and citrus fruits with more mature spice and vanilla. With this development has come depth, concentration and richness. It is a wine to drink with food, ripe and finishing with crisp, dry acidity.