Champagne Salon, Brut Blanc de Blancs

Salon honors the memory of its founder, a century on. In the 1910s, Eugène-Aimé Salon had a vision, a dream: to create a Champagne for all time, from a single grape variety, Chardonnay, laid bare in all its subtlety; from a single great terroir, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; and from a single superlative year, the vintage.

A stand-alone defined by its singularity; subtle and complex, the world’s ultimate champagne. Champagne Salon is the absolute embodiment of this quest for perfection. It contains within it the poignant beauty of nature, reflecting its long, slow toil in the silence of the cellar. This is where that astonishing backdrop of savory minerals emerged, that sensation of chalk in the mouth: an immediate hit, building slowly, gradually, ultimately all-enveloping. It was here that this virile wine took form, exceeding all expectations; here that its beautiful minerality was forged, heralding a wine with limitless aging potential. In achieving perfect balance, nature’s work is complete. 

The name Le Mesnil resonates in a special way with lovers of great wine. Nestled in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, 100% Chardonnay and 100% Grand Cru, this is the king of Champagne vineyards. It is here that the most profound expression of Chardonnay’s delicate freshness truly comes to the fore, where magnanimous nature offers a wine that is purity itself. This Champagne is produced from a 2.5-acre parcel owned by Salon (“Salon’s Garden”) and from 19 other smaller parcels in Mesnil-sur-Oger, chosen by Aimé Salon at the beginning of the 20th century.

Varietal Type: Sparkling (100% Chardonnay)

Appellation: Champagne

Sub Appellation: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger

Practices: The grapes are picked and sorted by hand. Pressing is carried out at Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, with a traditional press used only for Salon. Only the first pressing, or cuvée, is used. This is the purest, freshest juice, containing the highest percentage of acidity, which is essential to the evolution and vivacity of the Champagne. This alone does not make a unique wine: only the exceptional years are kept for production when the grapes contain the ideal combination of the richness of fruit, sugar, and acidity, which happens on average every 2-3 years. The first fermentation occurs in a stainless steel tank, where the temperature can be controlled and freshness preserved. The wines are cellared in the bottle for an average of 10 years, gaining in complexity and finesse. There is, therefore, just over 12 years of stock in the chalk cellars at Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 95% of the production is exported to 60 countries, where Salon is recognized among the top houses worldwide. At each step of the production of Salon, a conscientious effort is made to be the best, the most beautiful, and the rarest, thus allowing fervent admirers of Salon to taste a perfectly balanced Champagne, with rich and complex aromas. One can always find nuts, citrus, floral tones, minerals, sometimes smoky, sometimes doughy, according to its age, time, length on the palate, and fine, persistent mousse. It is easily compared in its fullness and richness to the great wines of Burgundy. This is what makes Salon unique: Simply put, it is a grand vin...with bubbles.

Ratings: 100 Points Decanter - “8,000 magnums only released instead of the usual 50,000 bottles. Disgorgement: January 2019. Dosage: 5 g / l. A mild winter followed by a rainy spring. Then came a long spell of fine weather allowing grapes to ripen slowly, bringing singular quality to the raw material.  After an initial floral-scented, fruit-driven nose, fresh menthol notes invade the glass. Remarkable power and generosity on the palate, and yet the mouthfeel is crystalline and perfectly balanced. A compelling mix of complexity and elegance. The finish is long and pure. Has the potential to stay the distance for 50 years.