Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Vintage Rose 2008

The champagnes of Maison Billecart-Salmon are above all created thanks to the knowledge of the men who rigorously cultivate an estate of 100 hectares, obtaining grapes from an area totaling 300 hectares across 40 crus of the Champagne region.

The majority of the grapes used for Vinification come from a radius of 20km around Epernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the ethereal vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.

It all started here in 1818 when Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon were married, marking the creation of their Champagne House. This has been a family story since the beginning with Louis Salmon, brother of Elisabeth and a passionate oenologist, getting involved in the creation of the wines.

Thus, over 7 generations, each member of the family has endeavored to continue the family tradition, staying faithful to the same motto: "Give priority to quality, strive for excellence".

Created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, one of the House’s founders, this cuvée is set apart by its radiance, refined purity as well as unique character. It embodies with subtlety the signature of our top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay terroirs.

The electrifying energy of 2008 charges Elisabeth Salmon with a dynamism and an endurance like never before. To capture such precision and such concentration of pure red cherry and raspberry fruit and yet at every instant to remain steadfast to the elegance and refinement that is Billecart is the profound juxtaposition that elevates 2008 to dizzying heights. Testimony to the depth of south-facing Mareuil pinot noir even in a season as cool as 2008, just 9% red wine is all that it takes to infuse a pretty, medium salmon hue that has taken on a copper tint in time. It confidently takes 13 years in its stride, revealed only in the most subtle nuances of vanilla and marzipan. With time in the glass, it billows to incredible heights of spice and even suggestions of fruit mince spice. A little fermentation in old oak barrels builds texture and integration more than it does a subtle nuance of jamon. Partial malolactic fermentation in a season with malic acidity as pronounced as 2008 is a nail-biting affair, perfectly played by chef de cave Florent Nys. Radiant acidity spirals with minerality as fine as ground glass to build a shimmering jetstream that slices through a finish of endless blue daylight. It is dashing from the outset, yet possesses decades of potential coiled into its graceful yet commanding folds. 

Tyson Stelzer, 98 points 

Disgorged with seven grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is one of the finest wines I've tasted from Billecart in recent years. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of peach, mandarin oil, warm bread, red berries and petals, it's full-bodied, deep and vinous, with lovely mid-palate amplitude, terrific concentration and bright girdling acids. In what is quite a tightly wound vintage and from a house whose style is rather understated, this is a dramatic, fleshy wine that concludes with a long, flavorful finish. Drink 2022 - 2048.
97+ points
William Kelley - Wine Advocate (Sep 2021)

This is very vinous with aromas of iron, strawberries, old roses and geraniums. So aromatic. Full-bodied, really intense and layered with super dryness and depth. Lots of saline and spicy character at the end, such as clove and pepper, as well as hints of flowers and melted butter. Strawberry tart at the end. 17% in aged oak casks. Blend of 55% pinot noir from six villages (Mareuil sur Ay, Ay, Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzenay and Verzy) and 45% chardonnay from three Grand Crus (Mesnil sur Oger, Cramant and Chouilly). 9% of the blend is red wine from a parcel in the village of Mareuil sur Ay. Bottled June 2009 and disgorged July 2019. Drink or hold.
98 points
JamesSuckling.com

The 2008 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon explodes from the glass with a mesmerizing array of aromas, flavors and textures. Blood orange, cinnamon, mint and dried flowers. The 2008 is incredibly young, but it is also incredibly tempting. Patience will be rewarded. In the meantime, readers might enjoy adding a few bottles of the stellar 2007 to their cellars, as the nervy, taut 2008 needs time. The 2008 is 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ, Verzy, Verzenay and Mareuil) and 45% Chardonnay (from Chouilly, Avize and Cramant), with 9% still wine from Mareuil. It is the first vintage that includes a portion of wines (17%) done in barrel and the first vintage in which the magnums were aged on the cork rather than on crown seal. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Drink 2028 - 2043.
97+ points
Antonio Galloni - Vinous

A superb vintage of this renowned prestige cuvée, this is made from a base of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, to which is added 9% of red wine. Despite ageing on its lees for 10 years, it remains almost shockingly youthful, its vividly primary flavours of red cherry, strawberry and nectarine wrapped up in a taut, tense frame. It’s silky in texture and intricately complex on the long, elegantly harmonious finish, underlined by a saline chalkiness, and it demonstrates all the requisite completeness and character for long ageing, promising a slow and dignified evolution to come. Drinking Window 2021 - 2050.
98 points
Peter Liem - Decanter