Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve for New Year’s (or anytime, really)
Going on three weeks now here in Thailand with no champagne, not sure if I’m going to be able to hold out until New Year’s Eve for a glass of bubbly. That is something that no New Year’s Eve celebration would complete without at the very least something sparkly to toast in the coming year.
One of the champagnes I had a glass of before I left was the Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve NV to remind me of what I would be missing while I was away. Although I do adore Billecart vintages and their Sous Bois is another of their champagnes that seems to be a bit different everytime I try it, their NV is one of my stand-bys.
Their current non vintage is a blend made up equally of 1/3 of each of chardonnay , pinot noir and pinot meunier and they are all come from either Premier Cru or Grand Cru vineyards, which means that they are some of the best grapes around. Having only 8g/l of residual sugar doesn’t make this an especially dry champagne but it certainly does have a freshness and crispness that makes drinking it such a delight. One thing I always find in Billecart is a delicious toastiness along with a long citrus finish. I especially like this one as an aperitif, it goes down very easy 🙂
I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get our hands on Billecart Salmon here on the island of Koh Lanta, so if you’re lucky enough to have this on New Year’s Eve, have a drink for me. Cheers!