When Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon married in 1818, they not only started a life together – they started a Champagne house as well. One of the very few family owned houses remaining in the region, Billecart-Salmon has been a reticent yet formidable leader in the industry, with awards of recognition to its credit throughout its over 200-year history. Billecart-Salmon is one of France’s more historically involved Champagne houses. In 1900, it took part in the Exposition Universelle in Paris, where it had the honor of being one of the few Champagnes served by the glass. In 1919, when Charles-Roland Billecart returned home after serving in World War I, sadly to a house that had experienced the wounds of war. However, with grit and determination, he restored the House’s sales by 1936. In 1958, Charles-Roland’s son, Jean, implemented a unique and revolutionary method to the House’s production: using a brewer’s technique, he initiated longer fermentation times at lower temperatures, followed by a cold setting to maintain freshness. Jean’s influence impacted what is now considered the Billecart-Salmon signature style. Billecart-Salmon specializes in cuvee brands that revitalize the senses. Its Brut Rosé is simultaneously subtle and intense, and overflowing with romance; the Brut Réserve offers a charmed balance of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier; the Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru showcases grapes from the four Cote des Blancs Grad Cru vineyards; Extra Brut offers purity and continuity with Champenois varietals; Brut Sous Bois is the House’s nod to oak vinification and tradition; and Vintage 2008 glorifies the Pinot Noir component like no other. The House also offers its distinguished Cuvée Nicolas Francois, Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon, and Cuvée Louis Salmon in its Millésime portfolio, and the exquisite Le Clos Saint-Hilaire in very limited editions.