The Brut Sous Bois from Billecart-Salmon is a charming and original Champagne, the sparkling result of traditional blending skills and know-how going back to the very first Champagne producers. Completely vinified in oak, the cuvée is made from identical quantities of the three star grapes in Champagne: Chardonnay from Premier and Grand Crus in Côte des Blancs, Pinot Noir from Premier and Grand Crus in Montagne de Reims, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne.
Thanks to its vinification and ageing in used oak barrels, Brut Sous Bois displays complex aromas and a strong character. It undergoes a partial malolactic fermentation and contains between 30 and 35% of previous vintages. It matures on its lies in the winery for 6 or 7 years and 7g/l of sugar is added.
Crystal-clear in the glass, it has a delightful golden-yellow colour with bright glints and fine sparkling bubbles. It is extremely rich in the nose with harmonious aromas of nuts, fresh citrus fruit and white fruits alongside seductive notes with fine hints of toasted butter, almonds and toffee expressing the elegant fullness of great Champagnes. Between medium and full-bodied, it is an elegantly fleshy and well-concentrated wine, with a generous texture and delicate bubbles. Its strength, honesty and character make it an ideal partner for shellfish, white meat, and mushroom dishes, or with dishes like braised veal shank or seafood risotto. The Brut Sous Bois cuvée is a flawless and delightful Champagne, perfect for those essential moments of pleasure and bliss.
Wine critics reviewsReviews by Parker, Jancis Robinson, and Suckling
The latest release of Billecart's NV Brut Sous Bois is excellent, unwinding in the glass with notes of lemon oil, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly vinous, with chalky phenolic structure and an enlivening pillowy mousse, it's impressively deep and concentrated, with fine tension and grip. Early renditions of this cuvée tended to be at their best on release, but this impressive effort appears to be built to age.
A richer mouthfeel as well as real bite. A savoury and yeasty note on the nose – almost slight Marmite (yeast extract). The oak is very well integrated and just frames the wine – the subtle note of spice comes in on the finish – slightly cedary note?
A dense Champagne with a tight and linear structure. Compressed and very pretty. Hints of nuts and cream with some pie crust. Some nougat, too. Very long and flavorful. It’s one for a meal. One third of pinot meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay. Fermented and aged in barrel for about six months. Disgorged July 19, 2020. It’s aged six years on lees. Drink or hold.
