Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay

Mareuil-sur-Ay

Mareuil-sur-Ay is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.-Champagne:Its vineyards are located in the Vallée de la Marne subregion of Champagne, and are classified as Premier Cru in the Champagne vineyard classification...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it is one of the few to remain family owned.

The Cuvee Nicolas-Francois Billecart 1959 won first place in the Champagne of the Millennium 1999, out of 150 of the finest 20th century champagnes. A magnum of the winning champagne later sold for £3,300.

Billecart-Salmon champagnes have also been reviewed favourably by wine writer, Jancis Robinson

Jancis Robinson

Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com...

.