Salon, a highly regard and one of the most expensive Champagne house that only produced Blanc de Blanc champagne, only in best vintage (approximated 3vintages in a decade with no more than 80,000 btls per vintage). Grapes that being used in Salon are all from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a grand-cru rated vineyard.
Same as other famous champagne houses which normally age their top cuvee in bottle for several years before release, Salon only releases their wines after at least 10years aging or more in bottle after fermentation in stainless steel tank. Salon's small production and long aging period before released explain why it demands such high price tag.
However, good news to those, including me, who wanted to try the style of Salon but were frightened away by the price tag, those vintages not released under label of Salon, will be release as Delamotte instead, with a fraction of price of the great Salon.
Have received a Newsletter offer for 1996 Salon Blanc de Blanc Le Mesnil from Artisan Cellar, a well-known fine wine boutique which famous for their wide selection of grower champagnes. 1996, one of the best vintage in Champagne (also in Bordeaux and Burgundy). For sure, always come with a very BIG price tag
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| 1996 Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs “Le Mesnil”  CHAMPAGNE SALON is one of the great names in Champagne for many very good reasons. It is singular and unique in every way. It is mono-cuvée, mono-terroir (Le Mesnil), mono-cépage (Chardonnay)...and has been since its first vintage 1905. Conceived and guarded by perfectionists, it is only made in the finest years — merely 37 vintages of Salon has been bottled to-date. This is why it is called the original connoisseur's Champagne, an exquisite treat privy only to the most discerning and resourceful Champagne collectors. The grand cru village of LE MESNIL is home to the most sought after Chardonnays in Champagne, and it is widely held that CHAMPAGNE SALON produces possibly the truest expression of the village's magnificent terroir. This venerable house is credited to have brought the genius of Le Mesnil into the consciousness of many. Put it another way, it is impossible to know and understand the character and greatness of Le Mesnil without ever having appreciated a Salon. Salon does not use malolactic fermentation for maximum freshness and longevity and as such the wine possesses a razor-sharp acidity in their youth. However the wine always blossoms to unparalleled heights throughout its long life. A Salon is usually released around ten years after its vintage and will need another decade or more to show what it is truly capable of. A mature Salon possesses a dramatically broad aromatic spectrum, and displays Burgundy-like vinosity. Its stringency is maintained throughout the wine's life. This is a wine unmatched in terms of class and purity. At no more than 80,000 bottles produced per year (if they even produce it), CHAMPAGNE SALON is a wine that is always hard to come by. ARTISAN CELLARS is pleased to offer a small parcel of this rare and special Champagne from vintage1996, dubbed the best Champagne has ever seen since 1928, and which to many is indeed the vintage of the century. Salon. Le Mesnil. Vintage 1996. Is there a more auspicious combination?  1996 SALON Brut Blanc de Blancs “Le Mesnil” S$498 “Green-tinged gold. Incredibly complex, intense bouquet of smoky, leesy orange, pear, licorice, minerals and bitter quinine. The superconcentrated citrus, quince and pear liqueur flavors convey an almost painful impression of extract and positively explode across the palate. Elegant, poised and precise in a manner rare for a wine with such flavor intensity. The vibrant, minerally, extremely long finish simply doesn't let up..” ST 95 points “It is always just as exciting and different to taste the first glass of a newly released vintage Salon. There is nothing that is as perky and acid, as almost painfully fresh and full of go. In the midst of this 96 which is as clear as a bell and razorsharp, there is a buttery layer of the highest class, as in a Clos du Mesnil. The journey has begun!” RJ 92-97 points “This bottle of the 1996 Salon is like every other bottle I have had recently, which is to say tight, tight, tight. Still, this painfully unevolved, mineral-driven wine shows tons of potential in its floral, white fruits. In a recent tasting of the 1979 Champagnes, the Salon was one of the finest wines, but it needed several hours of air to open up. Although the 1996 is pure magic in a glass, it remains a wine for the exceedingly patient.” WA 97 points | |
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