Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne NV

"Fermented in wood with a touch of spice and toast on the palate, this Champagne is beautifully textured and structured. The Chardonnay gives the wine a steely edge that suggests the bottling could age, so wait to drink this very fine wine from 2023." ~95 Wine Enthusiast

"The NV Extra Brut Sous Bois (base 2018) is just as compelling as it was last year. Powerful and ample in the glass, with tons of structure, the 2018 dazzles with its mix of orchard fruit character and French oak inflections. Dried flowers, chamomile, mint and dried lemon peel all build through to the finish. This is a bit closed today, but that's probably a good sign for the future. Dosage is 3.9 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2024." ~95 Vinous Media

"The NV Champagne Sous Bois Brut pours a medium yellow to deeper straw hue, and the nose is warming and more generous with notes of toast, red fruit of ripe raspberry, spice, and espresso. The palate is rounded, with rich texture though dry, offering notes of orange peel and currant. It has a silky texture and a fairly long finish, with ripe concentration. It is drinking well now and should drink well over the next 15 years." ~94 Jeb Dunnuck

"Baked apples, peaches, cloves, honeycomb and freshly baked croissants on the nose. It’s creamy and lightly honeyed on the palate, with richness yet brightness and layered, very fine bubbles. Silky finish. 43% grand cru chardonnay, 29% meunier, 28% premier and grand cru pinot noir, based on the 2017 vintage, with a third of reserve wines from a perpetual reserve dating back to 2006. Vinified in barrels. Five years on the lees. 5 g/L dosage. Drink now." ~94 James Suckling

"Rich flavors of chopped cherry, raspberry, roasted hazelnut, orange curd and brioche are animated by a firm spine of citrusy acidity in this tightly meshed Champagne, with a creamy mousse. Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. Disgorged Spring-Summer 2023. Drink now." ~91 Wine Spectator

"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." ~91 Wine Advocate