Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois
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| Type of Wine | White |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | |
| Appellation | Champagne |
| Winery | |
| Grape | , |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (12%) |
| Available as of | Jul 2, 2026 |
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The Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois is one of the most gastronomic cuvées from this prestigious champagne house. While most Billecart-Salmon champagnes are vinified in stainless steel, Sous Bois is aged entirely in oak. This lends the wine extra depth, texture, and complexity, while fully preserving the house's characteristic finesse and precision. The result is an elegant, refined champagne that comes into its own both as an aperitif and at the table.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon
Since its founding in 1818, Champagne Billecart-Salmon has belonged to the absolute elite of the Champagne region. For seven generations, the family house has been known for its elegant style, extremely precise vinification, and long aging on the lees. The house now possesses approximately 100 hectares of its own vineyards, which are certified organic, complemented by long-standing partnerships with carefully selected grape growers. Thanks to this combination of top terroirs from the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, among others, Billecart-Salmon is one of the most respected producers of Champagne.
For more information about Champagne Billecart-Salmon, please refer to the Winery tab.
Brut Sous Bois
Brut Sous Bois is a special cuvée within the Billecart-Salmon range. The blend consists of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, supplemented by approximately 34% reserve wines dating back to the 2006 vintage. The base is formed by the 2017 vintage, in which a slightly higher proportion of Chardonnay was used than usual due to the circumstances of that year.
All base wines ferment entirely in oak barrels at low temperatures. Subsequently, the champagne ages on the lees for approximately five years before being disgorged with a modest dosage of only 5 grams per liter. This long aging process results in an exceptionally refined mousse and impressive aromatic complexity.
Vinification
Sous Bois is vinified entirely in oak, a practice that originated within Billecart-Salmon with the iconic Le Clos Saint-Hilaire and was later applied to this cuvée. Fermentation takes place at low temperatures to preserve maximum aromatic precision. The long aging on the fine lees lends the wine extra depth, creaminess, and complexity, while the relatively low dosage allows the minerality and freshness to shine through beautifully.
Scent, taste and character
The nose opens with aromas of green apple, ripe peach, and citrus, followed by roasted hazelnuts, brioche, vanilla, honey, and subtle notes of caramelized sugar. As the wine opens up, refined nuances of toast, almond, and chalky minerality emerge.
On the palate, Brut Sous Bois presents itself as medium to full-bodied, with a silky mousse and a beautiful balance between ripe fruit, lively acidity, and subtle oak influences. Flavors of ripe apple, white peach, citrus, roasted nuts, and brioche are supported by a refined mineral tension. A light, pleasant bitterness in the finish gives the wine extra length and gastronomic complexity.
The finish is long, clean, and refined, with citrus, toast, chalk, and roasted almonds slowly lingering.
A champagne for the gastronomic table
Brut Sous Bois reveals a very different side of Billecart-Salmon from the classic Brut Réserve. Thanks to full aging in oak, long maturation, and low dosage, this cuvée possesses more structure, depth, and complexity without losing its elegance. As a result, it is particularly popular among sommeliers and gastronomic restaurants.
Although the champagne already offers great drinking pleasure, with a few additional years of bottle aging it develops even more nuances of brioche, hazelnut, honey, and dried fruit.
Drinking window and food and wine pairings
The Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois is ready to drink immediately and continues to develop effortlessly until around 2032.
Preferably serve the champagne at 9 to 11°C in a large white wine glass to allow the aromatic complexity to fully express itself.
This gastronomic champagne pairs excellently with oysters, scallops, lobster, turbot, langoustines, poultry with creamy sauces, veal, mushroom risotto, and aged Comté or Beaufort.
| Available as of | Jul 2, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Block Bundle Options | No |
| Type of Wine | White |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Appellation | Champagne |
| Winery | Billecart-Salmon |
| Grape | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Alcohol % | 12 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | Yes |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Parker rating | 91 |
| James Suckling rating | 93 |
| Tasting Profiles | Complex, Houtgerijpt, Mineraal, Rijk, Steenfruit, Wit fruit |
| Drink moments | Iets te vieren, Indruk maken, Lekker luxe |
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 91
Reviewed by:
Kristaps Karklins
Release Price:
NA
Drink Date:
2025 - 2032
Heavily based on the 2017 vintage (with 34% reserve wines dating back to 2006), fermented at low temperatures and entirely vinified in oak, the NV Le Sous Bois blends fruit from vast areas of Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs (notably Oger, Chouilly and Cramant). Disgorged with a dosage of five grams per liter in spring 2023, after five years of lees aging, it reveals aromas of green apple, vanilla, peach and toasted nuts, mingling with hints of caramelized sugar. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, precise and fine-boned, featuring a youthful fruit core supported by vibrant acidity, with subtle bitter phenolics asserting themselves on the finish. Given the challenges of the growing season, it incorporates a higher proportion of Chardonnay than usual.
This report details the latest releases from Billecart-Salmon, featuring the 2020-based Le Réserve—a reimagined cuvée that replaces their Brut Réserve. This release reflects a number of refinements at once, including a stricter selection of fruit, an additional 20 months of aging sur lattes (now a total of 50 months), a higher proportion of perpetual reserve component and a significantly reduced dosage. Remarkably, just four years ago, their NV Brut was dosed with nine grams per liter, whereas the latest release is disgorged with only three grams per liter—three times less (de facto, Extra-Brut). “With all our investment in farming, it would be difficult to speak of terroir if we were still dosing our Champagnes with nine grams,” comments Florent Nys, head winemaker at Billecart-Salmon. Practically, this means that the sweetness that sometimes manifested on the finish of this cuvée is no more.
Regarding viticultural practices, Billecart-Salmon began converting their 100 hectares of estate-owned vineyards to organic farming in 2021 and received certification in 2024. In addition to these holdings, they cultivate another 100 hectares under contract, from which they purchase fruit. On these parcels, the use of weedkillers and chemical fertilizers has been eliminated since 2019. Furthermore, they source grapes from an additional 100 hectares, although they do not farm or manage these parcels.
Among the new releases are the two vintage-dated cuvées: the 2012 Nicolas François and the 2009 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire. The 2012 Nicolas François is the first release of this wine since 2008, as the Pinot Noir from the 2009 harvest was reserved for their Elisabeth Salmon Rosé, while the less-favorable 2010 and 2011 harvests were not deemed sufficient for standalone cuvées. The 2012 vintage, characterized by a significantly smaller yield due to rain and mildew pressure, resulted in a modest crop of approximately 7,000 kilograms per hectare. Harvest for the fruit used in this cuvée took place between September 17 and 22, with Chardonnay reaching 10.6% and Pinot Noir 11% potential alcohol. The core principles remain unchanged: a majority of old vines, settling and fermentation at low temperatures, mostly vinified in tank (with just 10% in oak) and a partial blocking of malolactic fermentation (20% blocked in the case of the 2012). As for the dosage, it was made with a liqueur from Chardonnay, vinified in oak.
Le Clos Saint-Hilaire, a vineyard Billecart-Salmon has been cultivating organically for over 15 years and officially certified since 2022, also serves as their trial site for biodynamics, and the soil here is cultivated by horse. This 0.97-hectare walled vineyard, planted in 1964, is located just next the winery, at the foot of the slope. The soil is composed of silt and clay over chalk bedrock. This was also the first cuvée Billecart-Salmon began to vinify entirely in oak in 1995 (Sous Bois followed in 2006, with the first release in 2011), initially using second-hand 228-liter barrels—primarily from François Frères but also from Seguin Moreau, Damy and Tonnellerie de Champagne. In 2010 though, they began purchasing new barrels, preparing them by “aging” with second-press wines for about five years—wines that are later not used at Billecart. The 2009 vintage spent approximately six months on the fine lees, though future vintages will undergo a longer eight-month élevage. This wine, owing to its location within a walled vineyard, tends to exhibit maturity and richness, more so than any other area in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, making it the most muscular wine in the Billecart-Salmon range. To balance this, malolactic fermentation is blocked, and the wine is given a minimal dosage. While the current market release amounts to around 4,500 bottles, future editions are anticipated to be even smaller, reflecting Billecart’s evolving viticultural practices and the reduction of yields as a consequence.
Published: Apr 17, 2025
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James Suckling
Score
93
Avg Price (ex-tax)
$ 102
Billecart-Salmon Champagne Sous Bois Brut
Friday, Jul 19, 2024
Color
Sparkling
Country
France
Region
Champagne
Vintage
non-vintage
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A crunchy and rich Champagne with flavors of cooked apple, light caramel, nuts and cedar, as well as orange zest. The bubbles are creamy and round with a long, energetic finish. Tangy. Base wine fermented in barrels. 48% pinot noir, 32% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier. 74% 2016 and 26% reserve wine, including the oldest wine from 2006. Disgorged in 2022. Dosage 2g/L. Drink or hold.
James Suckling
Senior Editor
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Billecart Salmon is a house that radiates elegance while staying firmly rooted in the chalky soils it calls home. Since 1818, the same family in Mareuil sur AĂż has crafted Champagne that blends freshness with finesse. Tradition here is not a museum piece, but a living part of every new vintage.
Billecart Salmon History
The story begins with Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, who started a small venture that has since grown into one of the best kept jewels of Champagne. Remarkably, the estate is still fully run by descendants of the founding family. No investors, no acquisitions, no industrial scale. Just generations following in each other’s footsteps with the same calm determination that defines the wines.
Early on, the family chose a winemaking approach where precision mattered more than speed. At a time when Champagne production was largely volume driven, they were already working with cooler fermentations and extended maturation. It resulted in a style that has remained soft, lively and unmistakable.
Terroir of Billecart Salmon
Mareuil sur AĂż is blessed with soils that act almost like a natural cellar master. Layers of chalk retain moisture, cool the roots and give that signature tension that enthusiasts recognize in a single sip. The family works with vineyards in Premier Cru and Grand Cru villages that have been tended by the same growers for generations. Some parcels are so consistently cultivated that it almost feels as if the grapes know exactly what is expected of them.
Their blends rely heavily on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The combination of structure, brightness and depth makes the base wines distinctive even before the bubbles appear.
Winemaking at Billecart Salmon
The work in the cellar is calm, precise and patient. Fermentation takes place at low temperatures, allowing aromas to develop slowly. This keeps the wines fresh and pure. It may sound technical, but it is mostly a matter of patience. And that patience pays off in every glass.
Using both stainless steel and oak brings extra layers without heaviness. The family believes Champagne should dance, not march. You taste that energy immediately: vibrant fruit, fine acidity and a mousse that feels almost silky.
Billecart Salmon Style and Ageing Potential
Anyone who thinks elegant Champagne cannot age has never seen Billecart Salmon at its best. Some bottles gain new layers for decades while remaining astonishingly fresh. It is almost their signature. The balance between vibrancy and softness allows these wines to mature beautifully, sometimes so impressively that you wonder why you ever drank them young.
These wines clearly show that Billecart Salmon shines not only today, but also after long cellaring. With age, they develop deeper character and grace, ranking among the most impressive mature Champagnes we have encountered.
Why Billecart Salmon Stands Out
The distinctive style, the uninterrupted family story and the quiet dedication to quality make this house remarkable. The wines are light-footed, precise and yet complex enough to hold your attention until the last sip. You taste not only craftsmanship, but also the calm rhythm of a house that has never joined the rush of the outside world.
And in a world full of mergers and flashy marketing, it is comforting that one family still works from Mareuil sur AĂż just as they have done for more than two hundred years.
Buying Billecart Salmon at Grandcruwijnen
At Grandcruwijnen you will find a fine selection from this historic house, stored in climate controlled conditions and ready to ship. We are happy to assist with sommelier advice, serving suggestions and guidance for long term ageing. You can also collect your order in Dordrecht, where we are available for personal recommendations.
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