Champagne Billecart-Salmon

Champagne, France

Manicured gardens surrounding a 200-year-old oak tree welcome you to this classic Champagne maison – one of the few to remain family run since its foundation in 1818. The giant oak’s roots delve deep underground, all the way to the two kilometre-long seventeenth century chalk tunnels where the wines lay at rest (non-vintage bottles for between three and four years, and vintages – only produced in exceptional circumstances – for 10 years). Up in the picturesque village of Mareuil-sur-Äy, the single-hectare ‘Clos Saint-Hilaire’ vineyard (formerly the family’s tennis courts) is ploughed by horses and grazed by sheep, and you can glimpse this exclusive plot before sampling one of the individually-numbered bottles of Pinot Noir-driven fizz it begets.

Key Information

• Opening times: Mon – Fri (closed bank holidays)
• Signature wine: Brut Rosé
• Wines produced: Sparkling
• Grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
• Tasting options
• Time from airport: 45 mins from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
• Visit Champagne Billecart-Salmon's website

Location

40 Rue Carnot, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Champagne, Champagne-Ardenne, 51160