91+ John Gilman - View from the Cellar

"The new release of the Billecart-Salmon non-vintage Brut Réserve, which I encountered at the great Champagne tasting at Crush Wines and Spirits here in New York in December, is comprised mostly of fruit from the 2008 vintage and the vast majority of the blend is one third each of chardonnay, pinot meunier and pinot noir, with none of the base wines going through malolactic fermentation for this bottling. The bouquet is deep and quite lovely, offering up scents of apple, tart orange, a lovely base of complex soil tones, warm bread and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and snappy, with a fine core, absolutely exquisite balance and focus, very refined mousse and excellent grip on the very long and classy finish. This is a lovely bottle of Brut NV that will only get better with a bit of bottle age. 2013- 2025+." (02/13)

91 Wine Enthusiast

"Made with a high proportion of Pinot Meunier, this is elegant, fruity, with plenty of good acidity and a wonderful floral character. It is so fruity, fresh, a wine for real enjoyment. (Reviewed 12/11)"

91 Wine & Spirits

"This blend includes 40 percent pinot meunier, the balance equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay. Its remarkable fruitiness might be tied to the firm’s long, slow, cool fermentations, which, they believe, allow meunier to maintain its perfume. This is a graceful, vinous Champagne with dramatic high notes of roses and red fruit, finishing clean with a grounding of pale earthiness. It’s a lovely prediction of what Champagne might become in a warming climate." (12/13)

90 Wine Spectator

"Bright, with tangy acidity and a lively bead, this displays fruit-forward flavors of macerated apricot, pineapple and Granny Smith apple, with hints of ginger, biscuit and kumquat. Drink now through 2016. -AN" (10/13)