From eight grand crus in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, Billecart-Salmon’s new cuvée is a blend of exceptional wines from the 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2012 vintages comprising 92% Pinot Noir and 4% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

In a nod to the year 1818, when the Mareuil-sur-Aÿ house was founded, just 1,818 magnums and 18 jeroboams of the new Champagne blend have been made.

The UK allocation has been released to the market in the last week and London merchant Hedonism was expected to sell magnums for £1,500 each.

Mathieu Roland-Billecart, who has just taken over the house as the seventh generation, said the aim of the wine was to ‘capture the essence’ of Billecart-Salmon.

‘This is a multi-vintage blend, not a non-vintage wine, but it has the stamp of the house,’ he said.

The decision to make it Pinot Noir dominant helps the wine to reflect the ‘old rose’ fragrance that was typical of the house’s famous Clos St-Hilaire single-vineyard Champagne, as well as the founders’ cuvées Nicolas François and Elisabeth, said new chef de cave Florent Nys.

Also to mark the bicentenary, Billecart-Salmon’s prestige blanc de blancs has been renamed Cuvée Louis in honour of co-founder Elisabeth Salmon’s winemaker brother.

Read More at Source: Decanter