In the grand finale of Season 2, we travel to the heart of Champagne to visit one of the region’s most admired family-owned maisons: Champagne Billecart-Salmon. For over 200 years, this house has been synonymous with elegance, refinement, and savoir-faire.

Our guest is Mathieu Rolland-Billecart, seventh-generation family member and current steward of the estate. In this episode, Mathieu shares his personal journey of taking over the family legacy, the importance of innovation within tradition, and how Billecart-Salmon continues to thrive as an independent producer in a globalized Champagne world.

Together, we taste and discuss two iconic cuvées: the Brut Réserve, the versatile signature of the house, and the newly released Nicolas François 2012, a prestige cuvée honoring one of the maison’s founders. We also dive into Billecart-Salmon’s close ties with gastronomy and how partnerships with chefs and sommeliers remain central to their success worldwide.

Champagne Billecart-Salmon is proudly imported and distributed in the Netherlands by Résidence Wijnen and sold through their retail chain De Gouden Ton — your source for these exceptional Champagnes.

An in-depth article about Champagne Billecart-Salmon, including our tasting notes on Nicolas François 2012, can be found on the Dutch Wine Apprentice website (click here for the direct link).