A slightly flinty and vibrant bouquet alongside complex aromas of red berries, herbs and lemon, with fresh menthol notes coming through with some air. The palate is wonderful and elegant, with a vinous texture and a superb, calcareous finish. A blend of 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noir (including 9% vinified as red wine), this Champagne, which has a dosage of 7g/L, is made for ageing.

Incorporating fully 10% still red wine, Billecart's 2009 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is showing beautifully, delivering fragrant aromas of plums, stone fruits, petals, sweet spices and marzipan. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegant, it's seamless and pillowy, with bright acids and a pure, precise profile, concluding with a bright, saline finish. In 2009, it was vinified entirely in stainless steel.

The 2009 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is such a joyous Champagne. Intensely floral and effusive, the 2009 is a real charmer. Kirsch, sweet red cherry fruit, orange peel, mint, chalk and white pepper are all finely woven together. This is an especially brisk style, both for the year and for Billecart. If anything, the dosage feels a bit low here, which gives the wine chiseled contours and a slightly austere personality.

See score and full tasting note at champagneclub.com.

55% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ old vines. 45% grand cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. 10% of the Pinot was vinifed as a still red wine. Dosage 7 g/l. Very pale glowing salmon-orange colour. Rich, complex, burnished copper (somehow) nose. Very luscious and seductive. Strawberry flavours but not sweet and simple at all. Creamy-smooth texture but with quite enough acidity – even in this ripe vintage – to keep this wine appetising and intriguing on the finish. Great stuff! A wine to send you to the table… (JR)