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Ratings and Description Ratings and Description 100 97 ...
Ratings:
100 Wine Enthusiast
"This new release from a great vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne is a perfect blanc de blancs, showing a wealth of intensity from the crisp, chalky, mineral tones to the perfumed apple notes. The aromas hint at developing toastiness that adds depth and complexity. The wine is still young and it will age for years. Drink from 2020."
97 Antonio Galloni - Vinous
"The 2006 Salon is a very rich wine, almost uncharacteristically so. Deep and exotic the 2006 exudes richness in all of its dimensions, with myriad inflections of sumptuous fruit that fill out its ample, large-scaled frame. Today, the 2006 is surprisingly accessible for a young Salon, but it needs time to shed some baby fat. At times, the 2006 recalls the 2002, but it appears to have more phenolic intensity and overall structure. Even with all of its flamboyance and pure volume, the 2006 retains quite a bit of energy and freshness. I imagine it will be a fascinating, utterly compelling Champagne to follow over the next several decades."
97 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com
"No doubting the pedigree or provenance, this opens with wet chalk and oyster shell notes, and there are aromas of dried yellow flowers and white mushrooms, white chocolate and lemon citrus as well as a refined array of fresh pastry. The palate has power with ripe lemon-drenched peach fruits. This is generous and gives plenty for Salon at this young stage with really succulent fruit. Builds white almond biscuit and toasted spices through the finish. Drink now."
96+ Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2006 Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut has a shining silver-golden color, the bubbles are tiny and enormously fine—they probably wouldn't stop rising from the bottom of the glass if you left the wine in it instead of drinking it. On the nose, there is a fascinating, pure and fresh bouquet with acacia, chalk, incense and concentrated lemon flavors. The 2006 is mouthfilling, round and elegant on the palate; it is dense and tight but also fresh and cleansing, provided with great finesse, mineral complexity, length and structure. The finish is clear and aromatic, round and well balanced, slightly creamy, very intense, greatly finessed and truly elegant, with stimulating salinity in the aftertaste.
Being restrained and generous at the same time, the 2006 Salon is a great promise rather than the greatest drinking pleasure today. Although I tasted the Salon several times over 36 hours, there is a chalky layer on everything, a taste of a wet sponge, soaked with a lot of chalk for the moment but also ultra-dark chocolate flavors (with at least 80% cacao) and candied lemon and orange zests. The truth or the soul of the 2006 Salon, I guess, is rather indicated in the almost emptied glass, from which ripe, yellow-fleshed fruit aromas (plums!), brioche, marzipan and floral flavors come out, reflecting a perfect ripeness of fruit as well as the great terroir of Le Mesnil. So, please, don't drink the 2006 straight after opening the bottle. Take a good Champagne glass and give the wine a while to breathe and open up. The aging capacity of the 2006 should be tremendous here.
They call the 2006 Salon "a true romantic" and the vintage 2006 "a beautiful, golden one" at Salon. It was September that rescued the vintage with its "cool mornings and glorious days" that continued throughout the harvest, up to October 2nd. "The grapes reached optimum ripeness, giving musts with magnificent sugar levels balanced by fine acidities." The true class of the 2006 Salon will be detected only in years to come, but its talents seem to be tremendous!"
95 Wine Spectator
"The creamy mousse of this graceful Champagne caresses the palate like cashmere, carrying a beautiful range of glazed nectarine, chopped almond, pastry and candied ginger flavors framed by vivid acidity. Seamless, with a long, lasting finish accented by minerally chalk and saline notes. Drink now through 2031. 1,000 cases imported."
95 Decanter
"This is just the 40th vintage of Salon, the first being the 1905 vintage. 2006 was a warm, ripe year, generally forward. Most grapes were a touch low in acidity, although grand cru Chardonnays - particularly in Mesnil - had higher levels. Salon's 2006 has sunny scents of lilac and peach with citrus drive. The mouthfeel is sumptuous yet mineral, showing early charm but with grip to age. Extra brut dosage of 4g/l. Drinking Window 2018 - 2025"
Product Description:
"A true romantic, Salon 2006 is a beautiful, golden vintage. Like all
the great Romantics, Salon 2006 carries that
inner conflict of charismatic lightness and
melancholy. Salon 2006 is an enigma: on
the very brink of life, its joyful exuberance
contained, as if suspended in time: fit to
conquer, its entire future stretching ahead.
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.
Created in 1911 with first vintage 1905, 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.
This Champagne is produced from a one-hectare 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 century.
The wines are cellared in the bottle for an average of 10 years, gaining in complexity and finesse. The proof that memory and history are important is shown by the bottles in the cellars from nearly all the vintages that have ever been produced at Salon. Headed by Aimé Salon until his death in 1943, the house was then left to his nephew. In 1988, Champagne Laurent-Perrier, a family-owned company, became the majority shareholder of Champagne Salon. Today, the house of Salon, along with its ancient neighbour and sister, Champagne Delamotte (the fifth oldest Champagne house, founded in 1760) are directed by one man, Didier Depond.
The name Le Mesnil resonates in a special way with lovers of great wine.
Nestled in the heart of the CĂ´te 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." -Winery
Specifications Specifications
| Color | White |
| ABV | 13.0% |
| Size | 750mL |
| Closure | Cork |
| Features | Sparkling |
| Varietal(s) | Chardonnay |
| Taste | apple, pear, peach, apricot, lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, kiwi, butter, cream and vanilla |
| Nose | apple, pear, peach, apricot, lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, kiwi, butter, cream and vanilla |