Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Noirs Champagne Le Clos Saint-Hilaire 2009

99 points/'Editors' Choice,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$595 list] A toast and old gold aroma, marks this single-vineyard Champagne's impressive age. It is certainly not old, rich with toast and spice with an intense and gorgeous concentration of flavors. It is a magnificent wine, its balance impeccable and perfect to drink now. Alcohol 12%. (Sep 2025)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2009 Extra Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is stellar. I can’t remember a young Clos Saint-Hilaire with this much sheer immediacy. Then again, we are talking about 2009. Blood orange, spice, gingerbread and new leather play off a core of vibrant, red-toned Pinot fruit. Blocking the malolactic fermentation further emphasizes energy. The 2009 finishes with mind-blowing purity and exceptional finesse. This is the first vintage with some of the production bottled in magnum. The essence of Pinot. Dosage is 2 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024. Drink: 2027-2044. (Apr 2025)"

98 points Claire Nesbitt (JamesSuckling.com): "This Champagne is wonderfully rich on the nose, seducing with aromas of delicious yellow nectarines, sourdough, applesauce, white flowers and raspberries, alongside toast, tobacco and a hint of white truffles. It’s layered and generous with very fine, very soft bubbles. Already approachable, yet with subtle power and bright acidity to age for a long time. Fantastic length. Pinot noir from an enclosed, 1-hectare parcel of vines in Mareuil-sur-Ay planted in 1964. No malolactic. Over 13 years on the lees. 2 g/L dosage. Drink or hold. (5/27/25)"

95 points Kristaps Karklins (Wine Advocate): "Sourced from a walled 0.97-hectare vineyard planted in 1964 and vinified entirely in oak, the 2009 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire remains true to its lineage, offering maturity and richness—more so than most other parcels in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Released ahead of the 2008 vintage and disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of two grams per liter, it unfurls from the glass with a deep, concentrated bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, dried apricot, toasted nuts and exotic spices mingling with orange zest. On the palate, it is full-bodied and concentrated, textural and multidimensional, exuding richness and a more muscular personality than any other wine in Billecart’s portfolio. Underpinned by succulent yet racy acidity—enhanced by blocked malolactic fermentation—it concludes with a long finish, accentuated by the attractive bitterness of Pinot Noir phenolics. Expect a wine that is more demonstrative than the cool-vintage 2007, yet more mellow and immediately seductive than the 2006. Drink: 2025-2036. (4/17/25)"

Producer notes: "Originating from a single enclosed, contiguous one-hectare parcel of old vines planted with Pinot Noir in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in 1964. Appearance: The magic of the terroir, along with age-old skill, results in a sublime golden yellow hue, enhanced by intensey brilliant glints. The elegant effervescence of the finest bubbles is mellowed by the patina of meticulous ageing. Aroma: Noble, pedigree expression, intensely sensual with the olfactory impact of great elegant winey complexity (malted cereals, freshly baked pastries, and tangerine flesh). The resonance of a sparkling concentration, showcasing a ripe and intense fruit (roasted coffee beans, toasted bread, vanilla pod and light tobacco). Palate: Full-bodied with subtle exotic notes of honeyed citrus zest (chocolate-coated orange peel, liquorice stick, and cedarwood), on a bed of many-layered flavours (blueberry jelly, apricotin and lemon liqueur). The wine is borne upon a charm at once bewitching and expressive, in which its generosity carries the finish towards a deliciously mineral chalkiness."