There’s a reason why Kota Kinabalu’s sunsets are considered among the most beautiful in the world. Golden hour sees the sun slowly dipping into the South China Sea, as the sky magically transforms from the colour of deep passionfruit to the rich plum shades of evening.
It is against this stunning backdrop that a champagne sundown event was staged. The ON23 Sky Bar at hotel du jour, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu, was where the clink of glasses and sparkling laughter were heard at Billecart-Salmon’s launch party, marking the acclaimed champagne maison’s official debut in Borneo, thanks to its distributor, Winecellars.
The elegant evening saw Alexandre Bader, Managing Director of Billecart-Salmon, sharing not just vintages but also vignettes with the luminous guests in attendance, who comprised lifestyle tastemakers, industry insiders, and media. Bader told—with the same finesse as Billecart-Salmon’s champagnes—the story of the seventh-generation, independent maison and marriage between Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818 that started it all.
Three of the maison’s finest were highlighted. The Brut Rosé matched the ballet slipper shade of the sky as the sun bade its final farewell for the day—its ultra-fine bubbles invigorating the champagne’s creamy smoothness with hints of red berries and the aroma of citrus. Brut Blanc de Blancs is a study in elegance, consisting of 100 per cent chardonnay Grands Crus from the Côte des Blancs. Fine, white floral notes and a hint of brioche are discerned, while fresh almonds and lemon dance on the palate. For the writer, the Brut Réserve was the evening’s pièce-de-résistance, a harmonious blend of pinot noir, chardonnay, and meunier, sourced from the best in the Champagne region and resulting in a delicate, almost ethereal character lilting with fresh fruit.
The canapés, curated by the hotel’s departing Chef Jun, paired perfectly with the champagnes. The superb selection included salmon tartare nestled in tartlets, beef tartare on crisp tacos, stuffed arancini, creamy mushroom vol-au-vent, and prawn two ways—toast and tartlet. The finale? A champagne tart with strawberry, as photogenic as it was indulgent. New Head Chef Elroy Ernest was also on hand to greet guests, clueing them in on the hotel’s upcoming culinary ambitions.
Billecart-Salmon’s arrival in Sabah marks the start of many more golden hours to come and, with a knack for hosting evenings as sophisticated as this one, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu has affirmed its place as the city’s most magnetic address—especially when the best champagne is involved.
