Salon - Cuvée 'S' de Salon 2013

Druva

Chardonnay

Tasting note

In the context of the vintage, the expressive and structurally open personality of Salon’s 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil took me by surprise. Expecting a taut, incisive version, considering the cool, late-ripening growing season, it shares more similarities with the 2012 rendition than differences. Disgorged in early 2023 with a dosage of 5.5 grams per liter, it soars from the glass with scents of iodine, orange zest and warm bread mingling with hints of tropical fruit. Far from linear, it is a flamboyant and elegantly glossy rendition that’s undeniably fleshier than the racy-fresh and chiseled 2007 at a similar stage of development. Laden with ripe yet vibrant acidity, complemented by a pinpoint mousse and concluding with a precise, vividly chalky finish, it is dangerously approachable even now. However, given its rarity and eye-watering market price, it would be rather hedonistic to pop the corks before it celebrates its 20th birthday. Since 1921, this marks only the 44th edition of Salon.

Originally conceived as a private label for personal consumption by its founder, Eugène-Aimé Salon, this Champagne house was revolutionary in its concept: it produced Champagne from a single grape variety, a single village and a single vintage (though not every year) at a time when the region's wines were typically blends in every sense. Salon was a contradiction. Today, Champagne has changed; single-village and single-vineyard bottlings are common, and there are options vinified in steel as well as wood, almost always bottled with minimal dosage. Despite this, it remains one of the region's most coveted wines and, in certain circles, a reference point for the Côte de Blancs.

Acquired by Laurent-Perrier in 1988, Salon now enjoys a close relationship with neighboring Maison Delamotte, though their styles are quite distinctive. Delamotte's creamier, more charming aesthetic contrasts with Salon's brighter, more tensile profile, although this seems to have softened in recent releases, which are more friendly from the start. Grapes are sourced from Salon’s own one-hectare “garden” in Le Mesnil (which produces just 10% of their needs), complemented by fruit selected from 19 other sites in the village, many of which are farmed by the Salon team, as the house has long-standing relationships with the suppliers. The Salon team also decides the harvest dates. Visualizing Le Mesnil, most vineyards are located around the church and face southwest. Since 2005, the wines have been made by Michel Fauconnet, who serves as the cellar master for both houses. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wines spend around a decade on the lees before the first disgorgement. Since 1997, Salon has held back some wines for later disgorgement, releasing them with the 2008 vintage in a mixed case that included late releases of the 2007, 2006 and 2004 vintages. Production, amounting to some 62,000 bottles in a favorable vintage, remains limited, with eye-watering prices to match.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Salon according to Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin

★★★★★