Billecart-Salmon : Le Clos Saint-Hilaire 2005

Disgorged at the end of 2019 with a dosage of one gram per liter, Billecart-Salmon’s 2005 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is the eighth edition (the release sequence is 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2005; Mathieu Roland-Billecart released this vintage after the 2006, to give it more time to mature in bottle.) This 100% Pinot Noir from the single vineyard in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ has a bright, vibrant, fresh nose of orchard fruits, dried fruits, nuts, pastry and spices. The palate is tense, delicate and medium-bodied and evokes notes of white pepper and chalk with a saline finish and a gently bitter aftertaste due to the vintage. It's a little more austere than the 2006 vintage but precise and crystalline.

A fragrant, appealing Champagne, with wafts of elderflower and medicinal herbs on the nose, followed by expressive flavors of dried white cherry, Marcona almond, white truffle, oyster shell and lemon peel. Fresh and focused, with a satiny mousse and a salty finish of oyster shell and chalk. Disgorged winter 2019. Drink now through 2033.

The 2005 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is sublime. Silky and understated, the 2005 is a model of class. The mousse alone is utterly captivating. Dried pear, gentle hints of spice, dried flowers and mint are some of the many notes that grace the 2005. In this vintage, Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is quite soft and medium in body, a Champagne of refinement more than power. Orchard fruit, white flowers and bright saline undertones frame the long, very pure finish.

Le Clos St. Hilaire 2005 Brut Blanc de Noirs is only the 8th edition of this cuvée since 1995. 100% barrel fermented with prolonged aging sur latte, it was disgorged in the fourth quarter of 2020 and finished Extra Brut with one gram per liter dosage. Gracefully unfurling with toasty autolytic aromas intertwined with mixed berry cobbler, quince paste, cardamon butter cookies and acacia honey notes, the 2005 Le Clos St. Hilaire is full-bodied and vinous with shimmering, vivacious acidity and a lift of chalky minerality that brings the opulent palate to a refreshingly bright finish. Lot: L84657

A beautiful golden-yellow robe. The nose expresses a powerful Pinot. The palate shows impressive breadth. This is an opulent, firm juice, worthy of the greatest blancs de noirs. However, the overall impression lacks finesse.

On the nose, a whirlwind of perfume reminiscent of a Cerrutti 1881 trail, with aromas of rose almond paste and buttery pastry; on the palate, great finesse, notes of orange carrying lovely bitters over a backdrop of very fresh yellow fruit, and lively energy on the finish.

This beautifully balanced single-vineyard Champagne is ripe with Pinot Noir and intense. Its richness shows in the yeasty character in the background of the wine's maturity. Drink now.