1996 Salon ‘Cuvée S’ Le Mesnil | Champagne, France
'ONE WINE, ONE VINEYARD, ONE GRAPE.' - Salon
Critic Reviews and Scores:
100 Points Yohan Castaing, Decanter
A warm, even hot, spring with no real change during the summer, conditions that allowed the grapes to gorge themselves on sugar while preserving good acidity.
Harvest began on 23 September. Hazelnut, spices, flowers form part of the remarkable aromatic complexity of this Champagne that also has also remarkable depth of character. Perhaps the most impressive Salon of the tasting. On the palate, a sensation of flesh and opulence, but also the telltale precision and erect backbone of racy acidity, and an enthralling finish ending on a refreshing note of salinity. A truly great Salon that leaves one speechless.
99 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline.
98 Points James Suckling
Incredible freshness and tightness with fantastic acidity and minerality. Full-bodied, compacted and intense. Flinty! Then light yeast and bread dough. Superb. In suspended animation!
98 Points Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Salon is just beginning to enter the early part of its plateau of maturity. Time in bottle has softened some of the razor-sharp focus the 1996 had when it was first released, but all of the energy it had as a young Champagne remains. A host of candied lemon, almonds and wild flowers punctuate the sculpted, persistent finish. Readers who own the 1996 can look forward to another two decades or more of exceptional drinking. This is the ultimate expression of Champagne as wine.
About Salon:
...Champagne Salon is the creation of one man, a champagne connoisseur enchanted then seduced by the terroir of Le Mesnil. At the beginning of the 20th century he just created the Blanc de Blancs. The first known vintage was 1905. Now that the tragedy of the war was over, he was encouraged by his numerous friends to profit more fully from his wine and the house of Salon was created, to cater for his new clientele.
Champagne Salon was the result of Eugène-Aimé Salon's lifelong devotion to creating the quintessential Champagne. Chardonnay in his view is the sole grape capable of yielding Champagne of requisite focus and mineral finesse.
Eugène-Aimé Salon scoured the Champagne region for suitable sites, planting his vineyard which is the now famous Jardin de Salon on the deep chalk soils of Le Mesnil - one of Champagne’s only grand cru villages.
Salon is a unique Champagne. All the emphasis in the production of this exceptional wine is on the singular. It was originally the product of one single man, Aimé Salon; from one single region, the Côte de Blancs; from one single cru, le Mesnil-sur-Oger; from one single grape variety, Chardonnay; and from one single vintage, with no blending whatsoever. (thechampagnecompany.com)
'ONE WINE, ONE VINEYARD, ONE GRAPE.' - Salon
Critic Reviews and Scores:
100 Points Yohan Castaing, Decanter
A warm, even hot, spring with no real change during the summer, conditions that allowed the grapes to gorge themselves on sugar while preserving good acidity.
Harvest began on 23 September. Hazelnut, spices, flowers form part of the remarkable aromatic complexity of this Champagne that also has also remarkable depth of character. Perhaps the most impressive Salon of the tasting. On the palate, a sensation of flesh and opulence, but also the telltale precision and erect backbone of racy acidity, and an enthralling finish ending on a refreshing note of salinity. A truly great Salon that leaves one speechless.
99 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline.
98 Points James Suckling
Incredible freshness and tightness with fantastic acidity and minerality. Full-bodied, compacted and intense. Flinty! Then light yeast and bread dough. Superb. In suspended animation!
98 Points Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Salon is just beginning to enter the early part of its plateau of maturity. Time in bottle has softened some of the razor-sharp focus the 1996 had when it was first released, but all of the energy it had as a young Champagne remains. A host of candied lemon, almonds and wild flowers punctuate the sculpted, persistent finish. Readers who own the 1996 can look forward to another two decades or more of exceptional drinking. This is the ultimate expression of Champagne as wine.
About Salon:
...Champagne Salon is the creation of one man, a champagne connoisseur enchanted then seduced by the terroir of Le Mesnil. At the beginning of the 20th century he just created the Blanc de Blancs. The first known vintage was 1905. Now that the tragedy of the war was over, he was encouraged by his numerous friends to profit more fully from his wine and the house of Salon was created, to cater for his new clientele.
Champagne Salon was the result of Eugène-Aimé Salon's lifelong devotion to creating the quintessential Champagne. Chardonnay in his view is the sole grape capable of yielding Champagne of requisite focus and mineral finesse.
Eugène-Aimé Salon scoured the Champagne region for suitable sites, planting his vineyard which is the now famous Jardin de Salon on the deep chalk soils of Le Mesnil - one of Champagne’s only grand cru villages.
Salon is a unique Champagne. All the emphasis in the production of this exceptional wine is on the singular. It was originally the product of one single man, Aimé Salon; from one single region, the Côte de Blancs; from one single cru, le Mesnil-sur-Oger; from one single grape variety, Chardonnay; and from one single vintage, with no blending whatsoever. (thechampagnecompany.com)
'ONE WINE, ONE VINEYARD, ONE GRAPE.' - Salon
Critic Reviews and Scores:
100 Points Yohan Castaing, Decanter
A warm, even hot, spring with no real change during the summer, conditions that allowed the grapes to gorge themselves on sugar while preserving good acidity.
Harvest began on 23 September. Hazelnut, spices, flowers form part of the remarkable aromatic complexity of this Champagne that also has also remarkable depth of character. Perhaps the most impressive Salon of the tasting. On the palate, a sensation of flesh and opulence, but also the telltale precision and erect backbone of racy acidity, and an enthralling finish ending on a refreshing note of salinity. A truly great Salon that leaves one speechless.
99 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline.
98 Points James Suckling
Incredible freshness and tightness with fantastic acidity and minerality. Full-bodied, compacted and intense. Flinty! Then light yeast and bread dough. Superb. In suspended animation!
98 Points Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Salon is just beginning to enter the early part of its plateau of maturity. Time in bottle has softened some of the razor-sharp focus the 1996 had when it was first released, but all of the energy it had as a young Champagne remains. A host of candied lemon, almonds and wild flowers punctuate the sculpted, persistent finish. Readers who own the 1996 can look forward to another two decades or more of exceptional drinking. This is the ultimate expression of Champagne as wine.
About Salon:
...Champagne Salon is the creation of one man, a champagne connoisseur enchanted then seduced by the terroir of Le Mesnil. At the beginning of the 20th century he just created the Blanc de Blancs. The first known vintage was 1905. Now that the tragedy of the war was over, he was encouraged by his numerous friends to profit more fully from his wine and the house of Salon was created, to cater for his new clientele.
Champagne Salon was the result of Eugène-Aimé Salon's lifelong devotion to creating the quintessential Champagne. Chardonnay in his view is the sole grape capable of yielding Champagne of requisite focus and mineral finesse.
Eugène-Aimé Salon scoured the Champagne region for suitable sites, planting his vineyard which is the now famous Jardin de Salon on the deep chalk soils of Le Mesnil - one of Champagne’s only grand cru villages.
Salon is a unique Champagne. All the emphasis in the production of this exceptional wine is on the singular. It was originally the product of one single man, Aimé Salon; from one single region, the Côte de Blancs; from one single cru, le Mesnil-sur-Oger; from one single grape variety, Chardonnay; and from one single vintage, with no blending whatsoever. (thechampagnecompany.com)
