The Billecart family has been living in Mareuil-sur-Ay since the 16th century. When Nicolas Francois Billecart married Elisabeth Salmon in the early 1800s the two families' long-held vineyards were married as well. This led to Nicolas' decision to leave his law practice and take over the family wine estate.
In 1818 he founded the house of Billecart-Salmon which now stands as the oldest continuously family-owned and operated house in Champagne. It is currently managed by the seventh-generation, brothers Francois and Antoine Roland Billecart. The cellars are in the hands of renowned "chef de cave" Florent Nys.
Billecart-Salmon owns a total of 15 hectares of vineyards. Eleven of these are in the Vallee de la Marne split between 4ha of Grand Cru in Ay and Premier Cru in Mareuil-sur-Ay and 7ha in the village of Damery. In the Cote des Blancs the family owns 4ha of Grand Cru vineyards in the villages of Chouilly, Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
With respect to harvest, one of the most distinctive aspects of Billecart-Salmon is their philosophy that an early harvest yields more elegant and delicate champagnes. They look for a strong acid structure rather than alcohol as a preservative and therefore, never harvest at higher than 10 degrees of potential alcohol.
Over 7 generations, each member of the family has endeavoured to continue the family tradition, staying faithful to the same motto: "Give priority to quality, strive for excellence."