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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 95.8 pts. and median of 96 pts. in 646 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by aquacongas on 3/24/2024 & rated 97 points: not blind
It starts to open now. Some honey notes and milk chocolate. Fresh. Same level as the Krug Clos d'Ambonnay 96 we had before. But completely different champagnes. 97 (1067 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 3/8/2024 & rated 93 points: Lunch at Noizé: Mid straw. Not many bubbles, made slightly worse by a detergent-tainted glass. Gains more energy and aroma when decanted into a different glass. Nicely rich now, the sharp cut of its youth transformed to a vanilla crème pat richness of middle aged chardonnay. A mineral line with some tang. Stylistically this is essentially pettilant white burgundy — B de M Corton Charlemagne from a ripe vintage. Twelve years on from my last encounter, and obviously the wine has evolved, become richer and less vibrant, but maybe lost some of its energy too. **** (1261 views) | | | Tasted by BradE on 2/11/2024: Outstanding as usual. (1486 views) | | | Tasted by KenK on 1/12/2024 & rated 98 points: Another magnificent experience. Still very bright and clean with plenty of lively effervescence and brightness. Well defined and wonderful depth of fruit and stony vibrancy. Likely at peak, but should live on for at least another decade. Perfect wine for a perfect evening. (1835 views) | | | Tasted by jhngo on 12/30/2023 & rated 93 points: strange one a bit chalky and tannic. (1726 views) | | | Tasted by Alex G. on 12/15/2023: Burgundy For Lunch Bunch Holiday Event 2023 (Phoenix, AZ USA): Older than wine served before it (which turned out to be 2012 Salon), some oxidation and nuttiness. Still has ample fruit, and my best guess was 2000 vintage. In the end good if not great. I think I just don't "get" Salon, I'm never as thrilled with it as everyone else seems to be. The white Burgundy that followed was far more impressive to me than either vintage of Salon. (1751 views) | | | Tasted by nmmnori on 12/10/2023 & rated 95 points: In Magnum. Perhaps the star of the show for me on this particular afternoon. An incredibly focused and mineral wine. Striking acid profile and a rather intriguing saline component (think oysters and lemon).
The only shortcoming of this for my palate was that the wine was rather lacking when it came to a purity for fruit and chardonnay richness. I heard from others that it improved the next day with air. (1425 views) | | | Tasted by hprphf on 12/10/2023 & rated 97 points: Houze's Wedding; 12/9/2023-12/10/2023: Magnum OWC. High acidity with plenty of white fruit, less sweet and more focused than the 99 on the side, great energy if still way too young. Lots of oyster, salinity, lime oil, citrus peel, vanilla brioche lightly toasted, and aged cheese. Barely any older since last tasted out of bottle three years ago, and much better on the second day, lightly caressing the palate with insanely crisp impression, so much drive, so many points it hits on the tongue, then so long. Certainly the best rendition of such vintage acidity with a lighter style. Perhaps flawless. 97-99
P.S. My Champagne of the Year in 2023! (1550 views) | | | Tasted by Francophile1 on 12/1/2023: 50th Birthday Bash: An absolute treat to taste this side by side with the '95 Krug. This is in stark contrast to the Krug since it is a Blanc de Blancs. Incredible freshness and acidity with an almost creamy texture and tiny, TINY bubbles. Loved it. (1409 views) | | | Tasted by shifter on 11/15/2023 & rated 98 points: PnP. Absolutely spot on tonight. A bit reserved on initial pour, but after about 30 minutes the second glass was just singing until the final sip 2 hours later. Nose is fresh and inviting. Layer upon layer of depth on the palate belies its age. Finishes with that zip of acidity. Everything is in balance. Drinking at peak but no reason to hurry. (1612 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 10/28/2023 & rated 96 points: La Fête du Champagne Gala (Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers - New York NY): Small gala glass. Brilliant as ever, this is still getting better, longer, more complex. (1063 views) | | | Tasted by DWStyle on 10/21/2023 & rated 98 points: Wow wine! Drank at birthday dinner with family. Real gold bar color, hinting at its age. Nose was enticing and developed over the course of the bottle. Creamy, smooth and delicious. Still a looker and still hiding its age a little. Maturity started to show a bit- in the good way- decade’s to go. What a pleasure to drink and with great company! (1737 views) | | | Tasted by kr522 on 10/20/2023 & rated 97 points: My favorite in a vertical that included the 02, 07, and 12. As my daughter said, it seemed to have the best qualities of all three of those vintages, some exotic notes like the 12, the freshness of the 07, and some development of the 02. The bracing acidity from 10 years ago is tamer and provides great lift, and the fruit continues to add depth and character (1574 views) | | | Tasted by Le Musigny on 10/18/2023: Sold to Shane (1645 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 8/31/2023 & rated 96 points: End-of-Summer Dinner Featuring Vega-Sicilia Único (Asador Bastian - Chicago IL): Very powerful, very balanced. Both ripe and lean apple and pear throughout with faint lemon tart notes. A great champagne that is still getting better. (2799 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 8/31/2023 & rated 98 points: A sensational bottle that had it all -- rich dense fruit, lively fresh energy, and a long precise and flavorful finish. A totally complete and at-peak Champagne. (2013 views) | | | Tasted by jlgnml on 8/23/2023 & rated 100 points: Les Degustateurs last tasting for a dear friend (Smyth and the Loyalist Chicago, IL): Absolute perfection yet still so young. What a great way to start a tasting from an old friend. (1808 views) | | | Tasted by aquacongas on 8/6/2023 & rated 96 points: blind
Again great, evolving finally. Some roasted aromas and white chocolate. "lost" narrowly to the krug 1996. At least 10 more years ahaed. 96 (2148 views) | | | Tasted by aquacongas on 7/3/2023 & rated 98 points: blind
I had no clue. But it was phantastic. First it shows some evolution. Some roasted aromas, banana split and waffles. The acidity starts to get a bit tamed now. Still fresh. At least one more decade to reach his peak. 97-98 (2647 views) | | | Tasted by shifter on 5/25/2023: Richebourg and Meursault: PnP. So beautiful and ethereal. I was worried that it would be shut down like the bottle we had last fall, but this was surprisingly open and continued to open up with more air. So much class and structure while being airy and lifted. Completely outshined the Cristal tonight. (2609 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 5/18/2023 & rated 98 points: Some Bordeaux (Chicago, IL): Still primordially young for a 1996 champagne, though there are very nascent secondary notes starting to emerge on the palate. Dense and concentrated, lots of minerality, plenty of orchard fruit, and very balanced acidity (high, but counterweighted by all the stuffing on the palate). An excellent showing of an excellent wine -- it's clear this has lots and lots of aging potential still, though for my palate this is drinking splendidly already. (3191 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 5/18/2023 & rated 96 points: Top Mid-Aged Bordeaux ("Chateau La Grange" - La Grange IL): Slightly floral with ripe and tart apple and lemon curd. So much aromatically, with everything following through on the palate. Another great bottle. (3284 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 3/23/2023 & rated 97 points: Bright and beautiful but slightly round. The 96 do oen beat it out by a hair but happy to have anytime. Completely in its prime (2752 views) | | | Tasted by Keith Levenberg on 2/18/2023: After all these years finally I experience a bottle of '96 Salon that's ready to drink aaaaaaand it's a little bit past it, doesn't seem like the cork did its job here. The bubbles are kinda listless and the fruit showing some nice mature-Salon elements like lemon jam but there are also aspects to it that feel a little stale. (4590 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 2/6/2023 & rated 100 points: As good as champagne gets. Fresh bubbly smooth silky and rich. Just delicious and at the top of its gane (2947 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Charles Curtis MW
Decanter, Miscellaneous tasting notes (11/21/2020)
(Salon, Cuvée S, Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Charles Curtis MW
Decanter, Miscellaneous tasting notes (11/21/2020)
(Salon, Cuvée S, Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Yohan Castaing
Decanter, Salon (1/22/2020)
(Salon, Cuvée S, Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Vinous Table: Ristorante Osteria Carletti, Bedano, Switzerland (Mar 2018) (3/18/2018)
(Salon Cuvée S Sparkling White) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2016, Issue #65, The Bi-Annual Champagne and Sparkling Wine Review Autumn 2016
(Salon Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésime (Mesnil-sur-Oger)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/22/2016)
(Salon, Le Mesnil Blanc De Blancs Brut Champagne White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Champagnes Salon & Delamotte 1959-2007 (Jun 2016) (6/1/2016)
(Salon Salon) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/13/2016)
(Salon, Brut Champagne White) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (3/30/2016)
(Salon Champagne Brut Blanc De Blancs, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Allen Meadows
Burghound, Oct-15, Issue #60
(Salon Brut "Le Mesnil" Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne/Sparkling) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2013, Issue #43, Another Round of Champagne and Sparkling Wine More Superb Releases from Small Growers and Grand Marques
(Salon “Le Mesnil” Brut) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 9th Annual Wine Dinner and Auction to Benefit The Mount Sinai Hospital (Feb 2012)
(Salon Salon) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Happy New Year 2012 - Juhlin Takes New York (1/11/2012)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/14/2010)
(Salon Champagne White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Checking in on the 1996 Champagnes (Sep 2010)
(Salon Salon) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Let's Play Two (11/2/2009)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Hong Kong Diaries (10/4/2009)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Brad Baker
Champagne Warrior, January 2009, Issue #1, The Top 50 Champagnes of 1996
(Salon Blanc de Blancs) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, The 1996 Champagnes Revisited (Jan 2009)
(Salon Salon) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, La Paulee 2008 III (3/30/2008)
(Salon Salon Vintage Champagne) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, New Year's Eve 2007 (1/2/2008)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, A Holiday White Truffle Lunch (12/1/2007)
(Salon Salon) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, A Week of Golden Cellar Drinking (11/3/2007)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, La Paulee Part One (3/19/2007)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, New Years Eve 2006 (1/12/2007)
(Salon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2006, IWC Issue #129
(Salon Blanc de Blanc Le Mesnil) Subscribe to see review text. | By Peter Liem
ChampagneGuide.net
(Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Edwards
Decanter
(Salon, Cuvée S, Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/18/2010)
(Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) Bright light yellow color; lovely, autolytic, lemon, dried lemon, mineral nose; tasty, yeasty, tart lemon, baked lemon, mineral, clementine palate; long finish 96 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/18/2009)
(Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) Light yellow color; nice apricot, citrus, mineral nose, with lift; tight, tart, chiseled citrus, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. 93 points | By Lyle Fass
Rockss and Fruit (11/25/2007)
(Salon) Had two spectacular wines at my birthday party that were brought kindly and unexpectedly. The first was the finest bottle of 1996 Salon I have had up to this point. So clean and so perfect. Delicate as a feather. Truly Chevalier-like. Wistful wine with amazing delicacy, detail and finesse. Has years to go but is a linear, perfect beauty now. | By Lyle Fass
Rockss and Fruit (10/29/2007)
(Salon) This wine was truly breathtaking as it had everything I look for in a profound wine. It was made from Chardonnay, it was Grand Cru and it was 1996. Nose of yeast, toast, some green apple and spice. But the story here was the palate. This was dense, ripe, yeasty, toasty and so full of flavor intensity it morphed with your mouth and all of a sudden your mouth turned in to 1996 Salon and there was no going back. Piercingly mineral with ripe, crunchy acids, some nice green fruit (by green I mean young) and an amazing finish that has multiple layers and when you think its done it is not. Keeps on giving. Obviously this wine is young and will knock you on your ass in twenty years but it is awfully tasty today. What a wine. I need to taste the 1996 Krug though as I hear it's the other contender for best of vintage. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous and View From the Cellar and JancisRobinson.com and JamesSuckling.com and Burghound and Vintage Tastings and Champagne Warrior and ChampagneGuide.net and RJonWine.com and Rockss and Fruit. (manage subscription channels) |
| Salon Producer website1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs BrutOne of the most anticipated 1996 vintage Champagnes has arrived! Salon is one of the great names in Champagne for a very good reason. It is made only in great vintages (the decade of the eighties only produced '82,'83,'85 and '88) and only from grapes from one village, the grand cru of Mesnil. This village grows the most sought after Chardonnay in Champagne. Half of the vineyards that make the wine are owned by Salon outright, and the other half come from farmers that Salon has been working with for generations. The vines average 40 years of age. Salon suppresses malolactic fermentation for maximum freshness and longevity- an iconoclastic move for a Cote de Blanc producer. The production hovers around 8,000 six-bottle cases, so the wine is always hard to come by but very worth seeking out! (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne buyer)
Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs BrutSalon is one of the most prestigious houses in Champagne. Instead of making a range of styles that includes a prestige cuvée like most Champagne houses, Salon makes a single prestige cuvée, which is made entirely from Chardonnay from the village Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
The house was founded in 1911 by Aime Salon, who thought that Champagne was dominated by heavy Pinot Noir. He decided to make a top Chardonnay-based wine instead. Now, Salon is made in only the best vintages – in years deemed not good enough, the grapes become a part of Champagne Delamotte instead. The wine comes from a one-hectare parcel owned by Salon and 19 smaller parcels cultivated through agreements with various growers in the Grand Cru-classified Le Mesnil.
Salon is held back in cellar for much longer than other Champagnes – it can spend up to a decade in bottle before it is released onto the market, and can be cellared further.Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comChampagne Le Champagne (Le comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne) | Grandes Marques & Maisons de Champagne (Union des Maisons de Champagne)
France - When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of consistent quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them. Click for a list of bestselling items from all of France.
Sub-Region:
Champagne - The French region of Champagne (including the cities of Rheims, Épernay, and Aÿ) was the first region in the world to make sparkling wine in any quantity. Today, the name of the region is synonymous with the finest of all sparkling wines, and wine-making traditions of Champagne have become role models for sparkling wine producers, worldwide. Surprisingly, the region of Champagne is now responsible for only one bottle in 12 of all sparkling wine produced. Styles of champagne range in sweetness ranging from an extra brut or brut 0, to the basic brut to demi sec to doux; some houses produce single vintage champagnes and others produce non-vintage (or incorporate wines/grapes of multiple vintages), often to preserve a specific taste; combinations of grape varietals; and colors, including a rosé. There are several sub-appellations, including the Valley of the Marnes river running from Épernay west, Massif de Saint-Thierry north and west of Rheims, Valley of the Ardre, the Mountains of Rheims (between Rheims and Épernay), Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and Côte des Bar in the South. Champagne wine only uses three grape varietals (cépages): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.ChampagneThe vineyards of Champagne on weinlagen-info |
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