Les Rendez-Vous No. 6

James Suckling - 95

Elegant and refined, with lots of precision driven by a streak of electric acidity. Aromas of green apples, minerals, subtle cream and seashells with touches of limes and chalk. The beads are super woven, with sharp acidity that’s beautiful and appetizing. Long, mouthwatering finish. Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Irresistible now, but will hold.

Vinous - 96

The NV Extra Brut Les Rendez-Vous de Billecart Salmon Six is seriously impressive. It is 100% Chardonnay from Mesnil from the 2014 vintage that spent 82 months on its lees, none of which I knew before I tasted it. Bright and sculpted, with tremendous power, the 2014 exudes tension married to the textural breadth that develops over an extended period of aging. Brisk acids and clean mineral notes support the sublime, chalky finish. The Six was fermented and aged entirely in tank. The malolactic fermentation was blocked. I tend to think of Billecart as a fairly traditional house, but this wine leans more into the avant-garde, and it does so with tremendous success. Bravo.

Decanter - 94

The most substantive and boldy drawn wine yet in Billecart-Salmon's limited-release programme of single-variety, single-terroir Rendez-Vous wines, No 6 is buzzing with the stony, dramatic intensity of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. It stops short of austerity, though, thanks to nine years of lees ageing and the bright (but not sharp) character of the 2014 vintage. Salty preserved lemon and brown butter notes, with touches of allspice and toasted hazelnut – this is a wine of some stature and seriousness. It's not a blanc de blancs for simple aperitifs, that's for sure.