2009 Billecart-Salmon, Champagne Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs “Cuvée Louis Salmon”

We love Champagne, and so do you, our loyal readers. We’re constantly on the lookout for scrappy up-and-comers and surprising values, but sometimes you want to reach for the stars and pull out a bottle of wine that is fully draped in the prestige, tradition, and elegance of one of the most accomplished boutique houses in Champagne: Billecart-Salmon. And so, on this first Friday of March, we have a mesmerizing, show-stopping masterpiece of sparkling wine. The 2009 “Cuvée Louis Salmon” is the penultimate expression of Billecart’s long history of pursuing perfection in Champagne. A blend of mostly older-vine fruit from top parcels in three of the most lauded Grand Crus of the Côte de Blancs, this gloriously luxurious wine spent a full 12 years aging on the lees and another three post-disgorgement to put it into an impeccable window of pure enjoyment. It is the bottle to reach for when you absolutely need to impress, even if the one to impress is yourself. The production is tiny, and our a