Champagne Billecart-Salmon recently launched the 2008 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon, which includes a few updates to the process and packaging. The rosé Champagne, one of Billecart-Salmon’s prestige cuvées, was created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, who founded the House in 1818 with her husband, Nicolas François Billecart.

Billecart-Salmon vinified the 2008 cuvée in small vats using the house’s signature cold fermentation to preserve the purity of the fruit, and for the first time, with the integration of wines vinified in oak.

Another first: The Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is available in magnum bottles, as well as the standard bottle size. The label of Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon received a makeover and a new color that’s closer to that of the House’s Brut Rosé Champagne. 

The grapes were sourced from the best terroirs for pinot noir and chardonnay in the region. And 2008 was an exceptional year, the company says, with a generous and high-quality harvest. The 2008 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is now available at a suggested retail price of $240, and $600 for the magnum.