Sparkling Wines

wines

This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEA year marked by frequent changes in weather, ranging from sunny conditions in June and July, a cool August and then a return to sunny weather in September. The vintage benefited from the slow-ripening conditions afforded by the late season. The supremely elegant nose has a dazzling array of scents ranging from herbs, spices, and flowers to pineapple and pear. The attack is power-driven, but a backbone of racy acidity brings vivacity and propels the wine to a weightless, airy finish. Not as dense as many Salon Champagnes, but this remains a singular and impeccably elegant vintage. Best to be patient for another 15 years. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035Decanter | 98 DECSuch an impressive wine for the detail in every respect. The nose delivers fresh lemon and grapefruit peel, together with white, stony minerals and very, very fresh and light pastry notes. Some grilled hazelnuts, too. The palate is super fine, supple and crisp with attractive, dry, salty minerals on the finish that holds super long, fine and focused. Elegant citrus and light brioche to close. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThis latest release of Salon announces itself with energy and leaves with freshness. It comes from a vintage marked by a cool, cloudy August that delayed ripening; after the vines recovered in September, they yielded this delicate chardonnay, completely saturated with flavor. It comes from 20 parcels in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a selection established by the founder, Aimé Salon, in the early 1900s, including one estate parcel of 2.5 acres. Other than exclaiming on the wine’s delicious flavors, our panel was seduced by its texture, describing it in variations of silk, satin or chalk and velvet whiteness. It has a presence—a remarkable infusion of chalk soil—that sets it apart. Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, ALWine & Spirits | 97 W&S(Salon “le Mesnil” Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésime (Mesnil-sur-Oger)) I really love the 2007 vintage of Salon, which seems a tad more accessible out of the blocks than some recent vintages of Salon. The non-malo style of Salon usually makes this wine rather bound up behind its significant structural elements and in need of additional bottle age, even after the wine has spent a decade aging sur latte prior to disgorgement and release. However, the 2007 Salon was nicely giving out of the blocks, with perhaps not a completely unimpeded view to the magic that will be available at full maturity, but a clear line of sight to what lies ahead and already quite a bit of pleasure in the glass. The bouquet is deep, bright and complex, offering up scents of lemon, apple, complex limestone minerality, fresh-baked bread and a lovely topnote of citrus zest. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, long and nicely accessible, with a rock solid core, lovely limestone mineral drive, elegant mousse and outstanding length and grip on the complex and beautifully balanced finish. The 2007 Salon seems likely to age long and gracefully, as is this marvelous Tête de Cuvée’s calling card, but will not demand ten more years in the cellar prior to starting to drink with generosity. A beautiful bottle. (Drink between 2018-2055)John Gilman | 96 JGThe 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil is showing very well, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus pith, smoke, crisp green apple, Anjou pear, white flowers and subtle hints of fresh herbs. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and incisive, it's fine-boned and precise, with a bright spine of acidity, an elegantly fleshy core of fruit and a pretty, pinpoint mousse. Like the other vintages of Salon reviewed here, this bottle was disgorged in January 2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2007 Salon is gorgeous. Weightless, delicate and understated, the 2007 is all class. Today, the 2007 reminds me of the 2004 in its bright, citrus and floral-infused profile, but with a bit more creaminess, mid-palate depth and softer contours, all of which will make the 2007 easy to drink with minimal cellaring. Next to the 2006, the 2007 is quite a bit fresher and more delineated, with none of exuberance, power of tropically-leaning overtones found in its younger sibling. At this stage, the 2007 is a bit inward and closed in on itself. Then again, it is Salon. This is another terrific showing from Salon and the team headed by President Didier Depond. Dosage is 5 grams per liter.Vinous Media | 96 VM(Salon Brut "Le Mesnil" Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne/Sparkling) A high-toned and ultra-pure nose reflects notes of green apple, citrus peel, petrol and background notes of baked bread and yeast. The moderately intense middle weight flavors are shaped by an impressively fine mousse while delivering very good if not truly superb complexity on the notably saline and dry finish. Salon is virtually always quite refined but the 2007 version is especially so; indeed the word finesse is perfectly apt. I would observe that this could use a bit more overall depth and as such, I would be inclined to allow this to continue to slumber for a few more years first. In sum, this is really lovely and still on the way up. (Drink starting 2022)Burghound | 93 BHLightly toasty and fresh, featuring rich notes of peach tart and pastry cream, accented by hints of pink grapefruit pith, chalk and Marcona almond. Delicate and finely knit, with citrusy acidity driving the racy finish. Drink now through 2024. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2013 Salon is a huge wine. Dense and explosive, the 2013 possesses almost shocking textural richness for a young Salon. If offers a perfect example of the vintage in the Côtes des Blancs, a year in which ripeness and acids were both elevated. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, mint and white pepper explode onto the palate. Bright saline notes pull it all back together on the finish. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter.Vinous Media | 99 VMA vintage that’s not widely recognized following the 2012 vintage, the 2013 Champagne Blanc De Blancs Salon Brut pours a bright yellow/silver hue and opens in the glass to forward notes of chalky earth, ripe tangerine, and white pepper. Ripe on the palate, it is powerful upfront, with a long finish and fresh acidity. It displays a nice balance of creamy texture and mousse, with mouthwatering acidity, and like most vintages of Salon, it’s going to take time. Its texture is salty and crunchy, and the wine is very well-balanced, with a touch of warmth on the finish. Compared to the 2012, it has a slightly more rounded feel and warmth but retains great Mesnil character. Dosage was 5 grams per liter. 60,000 bottles were produced.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDVery light, burnished gold and animated by an extra fine mousse, the 2013 Salon is an exquisite le Mesnil-sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs from a later, and slower ripening vintage. Aged ten years on fine lees and disgorged January 2023 with a six gram per liter dosage, the 2013 brings pure, aromatic luminescence to the glass with notes of warm tarte tatin, crème brulée, citrus confit, lemon sorbet, crushed oyster shells and viburnum blossom. Medium-bodied, the mineral-driven palate is texturally poised and completed by a measured depth of fruit intensity charged with seamless acidity that coats the palate like electric satin. Well-heeled and sophisticated throughout, this 2013 Salon is pure elegance, harmony and finesse. The incredibly long finish lingers in your mind for days, if not longer.The Wine Independent | 98+ TWI2013 is a cool, late-ripening vintage in Champagne, defined by an October harvest in cool but sunny conditions. With a dosage of 5.5 grams per liter, the 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil possesses a complex, fruity bouquet mingling aromas of orchard fruit with notions of lemon oil, exotic fruits, spring flowers, almond and hints of menthol and buttery pastry. Full-bodied, rich and dense, with lively acids, it’s more complex and incisive than the 2002 and exhibits similar power to the 2012 at this early stage. Despite what was a challenging growing season for some producers, this is a superb Salon with a long, resonant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPImpressive yet very subtle aromas of flint, chalk, stone and honeysuckle, as well as gun powder. Medium body with a solid core of fruit, yet very refined and silky, with a delicate and refined finish. Pure and terroir-driven. Disgorged in 2023. Dosage 5g/L. Really delicious to drink now, or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSA graceful Champagne, with pleasing plushness to the finely detailed mousse, revealing a delicate honeyed overtone to the notes of apricot tart, lemon curd, white blossoms and smoked almond. Shows a rich, underlying streak of chalky minerality that emerges to drive the lacy finish. Drink now through 2038. 3,800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS