Professional reviews
Robert Parker (96)
The 2008 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François was disgorged during the third quarter of 2022 with less than three grams per liter. It has a delicate, pure, clean bouquet with aromas of orchard fruits, spring flowers, honey and licorice, with hints of brioche and pastry with aeration. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and crystalline, with racy acids and a chalky texture, the palate is tense and the finish is long, penetrating and salty. It exhibits perfect Billecart style, yet tension is present, a sign of the vintage. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir (sourced from Aÿ, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.
James Suckling (97)
Lovely precision and drive to this with aromas of lemon curd, brioche, praline, apricots, pomelos, mandarin zest and salted caramel. It’s held together by a sharp, citrusy backbone of acidity, balanced with a fine, silky mousse. Both structure and softness here. Citrus fruit brightness on a beautifully elegant and seamless finish. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. 150 months on lees. 2.9g/L dosage.
Jancis Robinson (17)
This cuvée was initially just their vintage champagne and was renamed with the name of the founder in 1964. It's usually 60% Pinot Noir from Aÿ, Mareuil and Verzenay, 40% Chardonnay from Chouilly and Cramant. The ingredients are all settled on the basis of blind tasting and the proportions are almost always 60:40. This blend is composed of 83 lots from grand cru villages and from 17 premier cru villages. 17% was vinified in small oak pièces. Chief winemaker Florent Nys thinks this 2008 lies somewhere between 2002 and 2006 in style. 3 g/l dosage.
Creamy nose. Broad and mature nose, underwritten by a meaty, steely, lean palate. What a contrast at this stage between nose and palate: two different expressions! No hurry to drink this wine which definitely needs food at the moment. Still tight and embryonic. (JR)
Wine Enthusiast (97)
A blend of fruit from mainly Grand Cru vineyards, this beautiful Champagne is now fully mature. With toasty characters, touches of fresher fruit and taut acidity, the wine has a little spice from wood fermentation. It is a great Champagne ready to drink.
