Talk with Mathieu Roland-Billecart

When you look back over the history of Billecart-Salmon, you can’t help but wonder if there isn’t an entrepreneurial gene in the family…

That’s a good remark. I’d never really thought about it. Originally, it wasn’t necessarily by choice but more the need for survival. In 1818, François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon were twenty years old. It was a great marriage between a family of winegrowers established in Champagne since the 16th century, and a family of merchants. They had everything to prove, and not much to lose, which encouraged them to be enterprising. And their children after them. We still feel the same lack of security, even though all is well. We are too small to call ourselves big, and too big to call ourselves small.

What other events prompted this entrepreneurship?

Over two centuries, neither vineyards nor people have come out unscathed. There was phylloxera at the end of the 19th century, Spanish flu at the turn of the 20th century, and also changes of regimes, two World Wars and economic and geopolitical crises. Generation after generation, people have had to make choices to survive. The outcome of this heritage is undoubtedly entrepreneurship, but also the will to stand out for the quality of our products. To be the best we possibly can, from vine growing to winemaking and maturation. This is still true today because being good in 1960 and being good in 2024 are two different things. It’s neither easier nor harder, it’s just different.

What makes you different?

Let me give you some tangible examples. Since I took over the company six years ago, virtually all of our vineyards have been certified organic. In Champagne, 2 to 3% of vineyards are organic. We are taking this a step further by partnering with one of my good friends, Jérôme Bretaudeau, a winegrower in Muscadet, to switch to biodynamic winegrowing and aim for Demeter certification. This makes our vines more resilient when they’re sick, which is something we’re already seeing. It’s common sense and not dogmatic.

Why have you made these choices?

Mainly because I represent the 7th generation of a company that continues to be family-run. That’s an extinct breed, a bit like the Galápagos giant tortoise. I want to hand over the keys to the 8th generation and say to myself that I did my absolute best to achieve the best method of growing vines.

What other aspects are you leveraging to stand out from the crowd?

A bullish market has reduced maturation times. We’re now seeing 2016 or 2018 vintages being released when not that long ago we were singing the praises of the sacrosanct 10-year ageing period. We are bucking this trend and now marketing the 2012 vintages and for our Réserve label – the most accessible one – we have increased maturation from 30 to 50 months. In the current Réserve label, there are 20 years of hard graft, from pruning through to blending the different harvests, between 2006 and 2020, and lees ageing. The long term and authentic farming craftsmanship are luxuries wine has, but that you don’t necessarily see.

You refurbished the winery between 2010 and 2018. In what way?

We introduced more wood. There are now 400 barrels [Ed. 205 litres] and 24 large casks [Ed. 80 hectolitres], where we make our ‘Le Sous Bois’ Champagnes which are entirely matured in oak – that’s very uncommon for Champagne. All of our other labels have some oak too.

Perhaps one last innovation?

In my opinion, wine should be the purest expression of what happens in the vineyard and the winery. Traditionally in Champagne, the lees are removed after disgorgement and replaced by dosage containing added sugar. We have done away with this and replaced the dosage with still wine chosen among 51 of our stored wines in what we call our nursery. So each Champagne has its own finish. Consequently, the amount of sugar has been reduced three-fold.

How should Champagne be stored before being drunk?

Like a fine wine, horizontally, in the dark – although all our bottles are dark – and with some humidity to preserve the cork. If you can avoid large variations in temperature and using a jackhammer next to it, it’s better. For all these reasons, a EuroCave is perfect. It recreates an environment that meets all our criteria and does the job. When I used to live in town I had one and we have some in our tasting lounges. The temperature is set at 12°C which is the same as our cellars that have always been underground.

How should it be enjoyed?

I believe in respecting our customers’ choices and not imposing anything at all. The challenge for us is to ensure they have a smile on their faces after they’ve drunk our Champagnes. Personally, though, in a room heated to 20°C, I serve them at 12°C so that they rise to 14°C when I have finished my glass. I tend to choose a fairly wide white wine glass with a bowl that comes in slightly at the top – this enhances the aromas.

What should we eat with it?

There is a QR code on all of our bottles with three food pairing suggestions. But let me share my preferences with our four Champagnes. Réserve is good at 11 am and also 3pm, served as an aperitif or at the end of the evening. The rosé goes with simple dishes, from sushi through to the pizza my daughter makes on a Friday evening. With ‘Le Sous Bois’, Comté cheese is perfect, and the Blanc de Blanc works great with oysters.