Besserat de Bellefon BB 1843

Besserat de Bellefon BB 1843 is a Champagne for a dinner where the wine deserves a proper place at the table. This prestige multi-vintage cuvée brings together fruit from five Grand Cru and two Premier Cru villages, with oak used during fermentation and ageing. It also retains the gentler effervescence for which Besserat de Bellefon has long been known. Rather than relying on an elaborate presentation alone, BB 1843 has a genuinely interesting approach to how Champagne should feel and behave alongside food. The house was founded in Aÿ in 1843 and is now based in Épernay. A defining moment came in 1930, when Victor Besserat developed a Champagne intended to accompany an entire meal, using a gentler second fermentation to create lower-pressure bubbles. That philosophy continues through the contemporary range and provides a persuasive reason to explore the house beyond the familiar names. BB 1843 takes the idea into more ambitious territory. Oak fermentation and ageing add another deliberate winemaking choice, while the house's practice of avoiding malolactic fermentation remains part of the style. The technical information for this multi-vintage cuvée gives a dosage of 6 g/L, positioning it as a measured and carefully considered expression rather than an extremely sweet or completely undosed Champagne. For buyers deciding where to begin, Bleu Brut offers an accessible introduction to the lower-pressure house character. BB 1843 is the bottle to move towards when you are interested in how that signature translates into a more elaborate cuvée, using classified vineyard origins and additional cellar work. Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru offer different routes through the collection, with the grape taking a more prominent role. At dinner, a savoury mushroom tart, roast poultry or a carefully prepared cheese dish would give BB 1843 an appealing stage. Use a tulip-shaped glass and allow it a little time to develop. Besserat de Bellefon BB 1843 is a distinctive step up within the house: a multi-vintage prestige blend that marries its long-standing approach to softer bubbles with oak handling and a broad selection of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards.