Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV

The tiny mousse tells a lot about the quality of this impressive Champagne. It is quite full in style, with flavors of white currants and a rich, but still bone-dry aftertaste. It is a perfect food Champagne, with structure and a good tension between richness and elegance.

Made with a high proportion of Pinot Meunier, this is elegant, fruity, with plenty of good acidity and a wonderful floral character. It is so fruity, fresh, a wine for real enjoyment.

The NV Brut Reserve is a beautiful wine graced with layers of exquisite, mineral laced citrus, pears and white peaches. I suppose this could use a little more length through the mid-palate, but it is nevertheless a strikingly beautiful, pure wine at this price point.

Pale gold. Fresh peach, pear and nectarine on the nose, with a complicating note of white flowers. Fleshy, plush and ripe, with strong peach and ripe pear flavors in a more powerful and less restrained style than last year's release. Firms up on the finish, picking up a mineral note and showing very good balance and length.

More bass than treble. Full-bodied and voluminous, this delivers subtle, complex shadings of whole-grain bread, coconut and candied fruit, finishing with a distinctive rhubarb preserve aftertaste. It's rich and balanced on the soft side.

Aromatic and spicy, with cedar, honey and ginger notes matching a firm structure and lean, intense character. Fine length. Drink now.

Intense , sophisticated and elegant, this hard-to get Champagne can be enjoyed on its own or with most light meals