Champagne Billecart-Salmon at Rosewood Amsterdam

Champagne Billecart-Salmon at Rosewood Amsterdam.

Champagne can be many things: celebratory, effervescent, nostalgic, even indulgent. But at its best, Champagne is storytelling in a glass — a narrative of land, philosophy, and enduring craft. This truth came alive during our recent lunch with Mathieu Roland-Billecart, seventh-generation custodian of Champagne Billecart-Salmon, hosted by Résidence Wijnen at the elegant Rosewood Amsterdam. 

The day combined an insightful masterclass, rare vintages, and a multi-course luncheon at Restaurant Eeuwen that showcased just how far Champagne can elevate both food and conversation.

Billecart-Salmon: Beyond Champagne, a Story with a Soul

Champagne Billecart-Salmon is not just another Grand Marque — it is one of the few truly family-owned houses remaining in Champagne, with over 200 years of continuous heritage. Founded in 1818 through the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, the house distinguishes itself not by scale or celebrity, but by a deeply held philosophy of clarity, elegance, and emotional resonance in the glass. 

Today, the estate is guided by Mathieu Roland-Billecart, who approaches his role not as a title, but as a responsibility to legacy. As Mathieu once reflected in a conversation with Dutch Wine Apprentice, taking the helm wasn’t a career decision — it was a calling, shaped by a profound respect for family history and a belief in continuity. 

At the heart of Billecart-Salmon’s identity is a devotion to savoir-faire — a term that encompasses knowledge, cultural sensitivity, accumulated experience, and craftsmanship. Every decision, from vineyard management to final dosage, is made with intention and care. Over 90% of fruit comes from within a 20-kilometre radius of the estate in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, ensuring a focused terroir signature. A tasting committee — including family members, former and current cellar masters, and technical staff — tastes every base wine, determines blending, and decides on ageing and dosage.

For Billecart-Salmon, Champagne is not shaped by trends or marketing targets. It is a culinary partner, crafted to enhance meals, spark conversation, and accompany meaningful moments — a philosophy encapsulated by their motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence.”

This outlook explains why the house has long been loved by chefs like Paul Bocuse and Anne-Sophie Pic — not for flash, but for harmony and finesse with food. 

Rosewood Amsterdam & Restaurant Eeuwen: A Setting of Thoughtful Luxury

Opened with much anticipation, Rosewood Amsterdam brings a refined yet welcoming presence to the city’s luxury hospitality scene. Its flagship restaurant, Eeuwen, merges modern European sensibilities with a respect for ingredients and texture — an approach that beautifully mirrored today’s Champagnes.

Chef David Ordóñez demonstrated a cuisine rooted in precision and elegance. His dishes during the lunch were layered without heaviness, allowing each element — from subtle umami notes to maritime freshness — to resonate with pairing wines.

Complementing the cuisine, Sommelier Julius van Zelderen curated a progression of Champagnes that honored each dish’s structure and flavour profile. His choices enabled a fluid dialogue between glass and plate — never allowing the wines to dominate, but always letting them elevate the experience.

Together, Ordóñez and van Zelderen fashioned a culinary stage that was neither didactic nor flashy — just deeply attuned to the wines it accompanied.

The Masterclass: A Deeper Look into Craft and Time

Before the lunch, Mathieu led an in-depth masterclass that explored the technical philosophies underpinning Billecart-Salmon’s style: cold fermentation to preserve freshness, long lees ageing for texture and depth, and oak integration used selectively to support — not overshadow — terroir expression.

The tasting lineup was a testament to both tradition and precision:

Le Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru (Magnum) — DWA 93/100

A crystalline expression of pure Chardonnay, with refined citrus, chalk minerality, and lively energy that set an elegant tone.

2012 Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Louis — DWA 95/100

Layers of citrus zest, hazelnut, and chalky tension, revealing both concentration and finesse.

2012 Rosé Elisabeth Salmon — DWA 95/100

A rosé of majestic poise: red berry, blood orange, rose petal and saline grip, all woven with fine texture.

2012 Nicolas François — DWA 97/100

The pinnacle of the tasting: layered complexity, citrus confit, almond and brioche, and a precision that hinted at its great ageing potential.

Each wine reflected the house’s commitment to time as a defining ingredient — a commitment Mathieu described as a balance between patience and purpose.

The Lunch at Restaurant Eeuwen: A Dialogue with Champagne

Following the masterclass, the dining room of Eeuwen became a canvas on which the wines and dishes conversed, course by course:

Oyster

NZ Spinach · Mushroom · Miso-Mousseline

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs 2008 Cuvée Louis — DWA 95/100

A refined opening pairing. The 2008 Cuvée Louis displayed crystalline acidity and chalk-driven minerality that sharpened the oyster’s salinity while the mushroom’s earthy notes found resonance in the wine’s gentle toast and citrus layers.

Crystal Bread

Dutch Grey Shrimps · White Chicory · Trout Eggs · Hazelnut Furikake

Continued with Cuvée Louis 2008

This course juxtaposed sweetness, bitterness, crunch, and saline sparkle. The wine’s precision and mineral backbone let each flavour sing without overpowering, reinforcing the elegant synergy between seafood and fine Blanc de Blancs.

Seabass Carpaccio

Purple Radish · Dashi Crème Crue · Sea Buckthorn

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Nicolas François 1996 — DWA 98/100

A masterful pairing. The 1996 Nicolas François, vibrant with citrus confit, brioche, almond and chalk, mirrored the cool purity of seabass and the subtle umami of dashi. Sea buckthorn’s brightness elevated the wine’s citrus narrative — a pairing that was both harmonious and memorable.

Monkfish

White Beans · Trompette de la Mort · Salted Lemon Beurre Blanc · Roasted Chicken Jus

This rich, layered dish was paired with two remarkable vintages:

Rosé Elisabeth Salmon 2002 — DWA 97/100

Elegant and nuanced, this rosé’s red fruit, spice, and evolved citrus bridged beautifully with the monkfish. Its texture complemented the beurre blanc’s silky richness, while its savoury complexity echoed the forest-floor earthiness of trompette mushrooms.

Clos Saint-Hilaire 1998 — DWA 99/100

A near-mythical expression from a single hectare of biodynamic Pinot Noir, this 1998 showed extraordinary profundity: orchard fruit, toast, spice and mineral intensity, framed by superb structure. It was a contemplative, transcendent pairing — one that elevated the dish into an unforgettable crescendo of flavours.

Closing Thoughts: Reverence, Craft, and Hospitality

Our afternoon with Mathieu, Résidence Wijnen and the team from Rosewood Amsterdam and Restaurant Eeuwen was more than an elegant lunch. It was a celebration of heritage, patience, and purposeful craft. Through thoughtful winemaking, sensitive cuisine, and attentive service, we were reminded why Champagne — at its best — transcends the glass to become something deeply human: a connector of flavours, memories, and shared experience.

We extend our sincere thanks to:

• Résidence Wijnen, Billecart-Salmon’s importer, for the invitation and impeccable organisation
• Champagne Billecart-Salmon, for their insight, generosity, and exceptional wines
• Rosewood Amsterdam and the team of Restaurant Eeuwen, for their hospitality and culinary vision

For readers wishing to explore more about Billecart-Salmon — its philosophy, history, and individual cuvée profiles — we invite you to explore our earlier interview with Mathieu Billecart, “Champagne with a Soul: The Story of Billecart-Salmon”, and our Grape Masters podcast episode with Mathieu.

This article is written by our own Niels Aarts. Pictures by Anouk Jansen, picture credits: Résidence Wijnen and Dutch Wine Apprentice.

Champagne Billecart-Salmon is imported and distributed in the Netherlands by Résidence Wijnen and available through selected retail and hospitality partners, and their retail chain De Gouden Ton.