A Rich Chardonnay, Vintage Style
To many Champagne lovers, the town of Mesnil represents forbidden fruit. Famous Champagnes from Mesnil, such as Krug or Salon, are priced to be enjoyed only a few times in a lifetime, at most once a year. Fortunately, we offer Champagnes of the same quality which can be enjoyed more often. One such Champagne is François Billion Champagne.The house non-vintage style is rich, lush, and full-flavored Chardonnay from the addition of a substantial amount of reserve wine (40 percent versus 10% for most NV Champagnes) and a lengthy stay in the bottle before release (well over 3 years). Jean-Pol Billion believes the Chardonnay needs the time to mellow and yield some acidity to produce the lush and complex flavors that are found in his wines. Tasting the Billion Non-Vintage blind, many will guess that it is a Vintage Champagne because it has lower acidity, lush yeasty brioche and nut flavors, and yet a beautifully balanced finish.If you enjoy Champagne and want to enjoy it more often, you owe it to yourself to try this. These Champagnes sell out every year shortly after they arrive, and we buy all that Jean-Pol will sell us.