Mathieu Roland-Billecart, CEO of the maison, has a special affinity with Billecart-Salmon’s new vintage release: ‘It is named after Nicolas François Billecart, my great-great-great-great-grandfather. Our house was created when he married my great-great-great-great-grandmother, Elisabeth Salmon, and together they formed Billecart-Salmon.’

Although ancient names are part and parcel of the Champagne region, there are few members of founding families working day-to-day in the maisons. Roland-Billecart says, ‘I think the longer time goes on, the more unusual we are – independent champagne producers, family-owned and, more importantly, family-run. There was a big decision for the family to make when we transitioned from the 6th to mine, the 7th generation. We could have taken on an external manager as other houses did around that time. But we think it’s a bit like a restaurant, you know, when the restaurant owner is there every evening, maybe the knives are a bit straighter!’

Does that restrict Billecart-Salmon (“Billy the Fish” to some long-time fans) to remaining a cult champagne brand though? Roland-Billecart replies, ‘We think it’s all well and good to have the shares, but unless the family really makes the value live every day, then it becomes just economic. With us, there is a bit more feeling in the personal relationship we build with the people that like what we do worldwide. I wouldn’t say we’re a cult brand. Sure, most people you stop on Oxford Street wouldn’t name us if asked to list champagne houses they know, but we would be mentioned more often in The Connaught or other places that fit our distribution model. We are patient and don’t have to chase volume. So, I think we have customers who are very loyal, we have a very resilient demand and we don’t take advantage of that demand. But last year was our third-best year for sales ever. And while there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, we are currently on course to match last year, plus one per cent.’

One advantage of being, if not a cult champagne, at least a connoisseur’s brand, is that consumers are not swallowing the cost of expensive marketing. Billecart-Salmon is a name highly unlikely to be spelled out in fireworks as it arrives at a nightclub VIP table; more likely opened discreetly by a sommelier who recommended it. ‘Some brands have to make a lot of noise,’ Roland-Billecart notes. ‘They don’t have brand loyalty, so they constantly need to recruit new people. We spend very little on things that are not essential to the greatness of the wine. Buying a billboard or sponsoring Formula 1? That’s not us.’

While the head winemaker, Florent Nys, is not a Billecart, the family is involved with decisions ‘essential to the greatness of the wine,’ says Roland-Billecart. ‘As CEO, I don’t prune every single vine; I don’t look after every single tank. We augment our own skills and talents with professionals who have been working with us for decades, such as Florent, who was apprentice to the previous head winemaker. Often, they stay with us for an entire career. The average tenure of a member of our team is 20 years. But we have a tasting committee, made up of four family members and four non-family members. We taste every single base wine; we have to agree on every blend, every dosage… and we have to agree on every release. So, the family is very embedded in the crafting.’

It is the maison’s policy to release a champagne when it is undoubtedly drinkable, rather than putting out something that will need a few more years ageing in the bottle before it’s optimal. (Although that’s not to say that Nicolas François vintages can’t still be cellared for a good while.) Nicolas François 2012 vintage took 13 years to hit the shops. The previous release, in 2023, the 2008, took even longer (15 years, to save you the maths). And the absence of vintages in three consecutive years suggests further commitment to conservatism. In fact, before the 2008, Billecart-Salmon named 16 Nicolas François vintages in 40 years. ‘One of the attributes of great champagnes,’ says Roland-Billecart, ‘is patience and time. And, as a family business, we know a bit about patience and time. Nicolas François represents the very best of what we do in traditional-blend champagne.’

On the subject of that blend, while pinot meunier appears prominently in some Billecart-Salmon cuvées (notably the elegant and fresh Le Réserve, around £50), it is absent in Nicolas François, where pinot noir and chardonnay are blended 60:40. It offers wonderfully light, bright stone fruit on the nose – apricots and mirabelles – along with toasted nut undertones and some mineralic notes. On the palate, there are some sweet spices and brioche but the low dosage (3.8 per cent – at the low end of extra-brut) is evident in the overall crisp elegance. It is poised with precision – the citrus notes are like a spritz, not acidic; and orchard fruit character is aromatic pear rather than intense apple. And it has a long finish, ideal for a hopefully long summer.

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Nicolas François 2012 is available from Hedonism and other specialist retailers; £155

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