Billecart-Salmon presents the new 2012 vintage of Elisabeth Salmon 2012 and Louis Salmon 2012

Born in 1818 from the union of Elisabeth Salmon and Nicolas François Billecart, the House Billecart-Salmon was above all the coming together of two families. The Billecarts on one side, the Salmons on the other. Over the generations that followed, their successors have never ceased to pay tribute to the pioneers who laid the solid foundations on which the Family House now rests.

Today, the 2012 vintage of two historic cuvées sees the light of day, highlighting the Salmon siblings: the rosé Elisabeth Salmon, an ode to the co-founder, and Louis Salmon, the blanc de blancs named after Elisabeth’s brother and the House’s first chief winemaker. These two iconic cuvées with their singular, complementary characters, embody the very essence of the founders.

A vintage wine crowns an exceptional year: the year 2012 was marked by a healthy harvest, offering grapes rich in sugar and with good acidity. Their remarkable quality produced one of the finest vintages of its decade, with wines of great aromatic finesse combining intensity and power, reflecting the House’s ancestral savoir-faire in rosé and blanc de blancs.

Elisabeth Salmon was a woman of passion. Very independent for her time, she had a taste for the trade and boldly guided the House in its first steps in 1818. Her intrepid character inspired the creation of the cuvée of the same name in 1988, endowed with a refined purity of grandeur and unique character much like the founder of the House. After more than 9 years of maturation on lees and in the cellar, the 2012 vintage of Elisabeth Salmon subtly offers the signature of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Grand Cru and Premier Cru terroirs, and underscores the expression of the House’s rosé savoir-faire. With a blossoming of gourmet and pastry-like flavors, its finish is persistent with notes of cedar wood and blood orange jelly. Its aromatic charm is the perfect accompaniment to fine poultry with crayfish or some royal langoustines.

Louis Salmon, Elisabeth’s brother, is a key figure in the story of Billecart-Salmon. A passionate oenologist with an instinctive intelligence, he has been involved in winemaking since the creation of the House. The vintage cuvée Blanc de Blancs is a vibrant tribute to him, through the noble elegance of a precise, mineral Chardonnay. Louis Salmon 2012 reveals the quintessence of this exceptional year’s Côte des Blancs Grand Cru plots: powerful and slender, with majestic typicity, this partially wood-fermented wine presents a refreshing balance of natural flavors (marzipan, flaky brioche, white fruit and white pepper). Its potential expresses a remarkable finesse worthy of the finest food pairings: a lobster risotto or Teriyaki-style king scallops a la plancha.

To celebrate this launch, immerse yourself in the world of two great chefs of character and the food pairings they have imagined for the 2012 vintage of Elisabeth Salmon and Louis Salmon.

Pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Hermé invites you on a memorable journey around a dedicated creation: Antigone, a dessert inspired by the elegance and aromatic complexity of Elisabeth Salmon 2012, offers a subtle harmony of flavors. The inimitable character of red fruits pairs perfectly with cranberries and redcurrants. The greediness of the raisin French toast reveals the pastry notes of this great rosé, while the roasted almond panna cotta sublimates the amplitude of aromas.

Sébastien Carmona-Porto, chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Helen* in Paris, has created a carpaccio of line-caught sea bass with bird pepper to match Louis Salmon 2012. The purity and elegance of this 100% Chardonnay harmonizes perfectly with this dish, revealing mineral and slightly nutty notes. This combination offers a fresh citrus sensation, creating a symbiosis with the essence and texture of the raw fish. A balanced, complex universe of flavours.