The estate
Since its creation in 1818 by the married couple, Elisabeth Salmon and Nicolas-François Billecart, the Billecart-Salmon Champagne House has remained independent, having preserved all of its know-how and demand for high-quality cuvées for 7 generations.
The vineyard
The Billecart-Salmon vineyard covers 100 hectares from Côte des Blancs to the Reims mountain. The vines are cultivated and cared for in a traditional manner so that the wine resembles real fruit and to reflect the quality of its terroir.
The wine
A prestigious cuvée bearing the name of the patron saint of the Mareuil-sur-Ay church, the Clos Saint-Hilaire Brut 1998 by the Billecart-Salmon Champagne House is produced in limited quantities.
Winemaking and ageing
This reference among the greatest wines of Champagne is 100% vinified in barrels, with a long ageing period on lees for more than ten years.
Blend
Produced from a one-hectare plot of old vines planted in 1964 and located in Mareuil-sur-Ay. The Clos Saint-Hilaire Brut 1998 by Billecart-Salmon is 100% Pinot Noir.
Tasting
The Clos Saint-Hilaire 1998 by the Billecart-Salmon Champagne House intensely expresses all of the richness of its terroir, which is mostly made up of chalk and porous limestone rock. Therefore, at the tasting, a complex bouquet which mixes an incredible richness with wonderfully pure aromas is exhaled.
Keeping
This wine's impressive ageing potential will allow it to see 2040.
The 1998 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire emerges from the glass with an exotic array of intensely perfumed, candied fruit. The wine possesses gorgeous textural richness in a deep, layered expression of Pinot Noir. The mousse remains refined and very elegant all the way through to the deeply satisfying, resonating finish. This is bottle: 001493 out of 6,750. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2023. Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne made from a small, one hectare plot located on the property in Mareuil-sur-Ay. The wine is fermented in oak and bottled with no dosage. In only its third release, Le Clos Saint-Hilaire has already established itself as one of the region's most fascinating wines. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2023.