Named after Louis Salmon, Elisabeth's brother and a passionate student of oenology, Cuvée Louis is Billecart-Salmon's prestige Blanc de Blancs. Sourced exclusively from four Grand Cru villages on the Côte des Blancs, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, Cramant and Oiry, it is among the most pedigreed expressions of Chardonnay in all of Champagne.

The 2012 was a challenging year, beset by frost, hail, heavy rain, mildew and sunburn at various points in the season. Low yields were the result, and with them, extraordinary concentration. Vinified 75% in tank and 25% in old oak, with most lots undergoing malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged 115 months on the lees before disgorgement. Dosage: 3.9 g/L. The result is powerful and dense, yet retains the electric, flinty freshness that defines great Blanc de Blancs from this corner of the Côte des Blancs.

Rated 99 points by James Suckling, 98 by Owen Bargreen, 97 by Antonio Galloni (Vinous) and 96 by Tom Hewson (Decanter). A wine of extraordinary depth with decades of development ahead.