BILLECART-SALMON Le Clos Saint-Hilaire Brut Blanc de Noirs Millesime 2005 Bottle

Description

The 2005 Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is a richly textured and sophisticated Champagne from a single parcel of Pinot Noir in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, vinified solely in oak barrels with no malolactic fermentation. Disgorged at the end of 2019 with just 1 g/L dosage, it offers a complex nose of spiced yellow plums, brioche, toasted lemons, butterscotch, baked apples, strawberries, coffee cream, praline, earthy mushroom, and truffle. The palate is creamy, layered, and generous, with soft bubbles and a long, spicy, toasty finish that exudes opulence and elegance. Critics acclaim its finesse: VINOUS scores it 98 points, describing it as sublime and refined with captivating mousse, while Yohan Castaing from The Wine Advocate awards it 95 points, praising its crystalline precision, orchard and dried fruits, and saline undertones. A serious, dense Champagne that can be enjoyed now or cellared until 2045.

*****

"The magic of a terroir blended with expertise and ancestral know-how, reveals a deep yellow gold hue, underlined by intensely golden reflections. The graceful effervescence of fine bubbles softened by the patina of time. Palate: The ample and imposing texture, with hints of citrus fruit flesh and pears in syrup (candied lemon zest, mandarin pulp), emerges against a base note of panettone. With a richness bursting with flavours (puffed buckwheat and precious wood), the wine is carried by a fullness of taste with bewitching charm culminating in a deliciously chalky root mineral. Aroma: A noble, racy expression with an extremely complex, vinous impact on the nose (touch of biscuit, fresh roasted hazelnuts, white pepper). A refined development highlighting the scintillating concentrations of ripe and intense fruit (nuts and sweet spices)."

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
Richly complex nose of spiced yellow plums, brioche, toasted lemons, butterscotch, baked apples, strawberries, coffee cream, praline, earthy mushroom and truffle hints. It’s creamy, layered and generous, with soft bubbles. Complex toasty and spicy elements carry through to a long finish. Opulence and sophistication. Single parcel pinot noir, 100% vinified in oak barrels. No malo. 1g/l dosage. Drink now or hold.

VINOUS 98 points
The 2005 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is sublime. Silky and understated, the 2005 is a model of class. The mousse alone is utterly captivating. Dried pear, gentle hints of spice, dried flowers and mint are some of the many notes that grace the 2005. In this vintage, Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is quite soft and medium in body, a Champagne of refinement more than power. Orchard fruit, white flowers and bright saline undertones frame the long, very pure finish. - Antonio Galloni

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5 points
From the walled vineyard behind Billecart's HQ in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ planted exclusively with Pinot Noir. It was all vinified in oak. Apparently 'this micro cuve´e will pair wonderfully with a wild turbot and Burmese coffee'. The label is made of cherry wood sourced from sustainable forests. Each individual wooden label is distinguished by differences in grain and colour, making each bottle unique.
Full of life on the nose and richly textured on the palate. Thoroughly satisfying wine with quite a bit of body that reaches every crevice of the palate. Firm, savoury finish. A serious, dense champagne for the table. (JR)

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Drink Date 2023 - 2045
"Disgorged at the end of 2019 with a dosage of one gram per liter, Billecart-Salmon’s 2005 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is the eighth edition (the release sequence is 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2005; Mathieu Roland-Billecart released this vintage after the 2006, to give it more time to mature in bottle.) This 100% Pinot Noir from the single vineyard in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ has a bright, vibrant, fresh nose of orchard fruits, dried fruits, nuts, pastry and spices. The palate is tense, delicate and medium-bodied and evokes notes of white pepper and chalk with a saline finish and a gently bitter aftertaste due to the vintage. It's a little more austere than the 2006 vintage but precise and crystalline." - Yohan Castaing, 20th Apr 2023.