Champagne Salon
2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil, Collector's Edition 2022 1.5L
France

“8,000 magnums only released instead of the usual 50,000 bottles. Disgorgement: January 2019. Dosage: 5 g / l. A mild winter followed by a rainy spring. Then came a long spell of fine weather allowing grapes to ripen slowly, bringing singular quality to the raw material. After an initial floral-scented, fruit-driven nose, fresh menthol notes invade the glass. Remarkable power and generosity on the palate, and yet the mouthfeel is crystalline and perfectly balanced. A compelling mix of complexity and elegance. The finish is long and pure. Has the potential to stay the distance for 50 years.”

“8,000 magnums only released instead of the usual 50,000 bottles. Disgorgement: January 2019. Dosage: 5 g / l. A mild winter followed by a rainy spring. Then came a long spell of fine weather allowing grapes to ripen slowly, bringing singular quality to the raw material. After an initial floral-scented, fruit-driven nose, fresh menthol notes invade the glass. Remarkable power and generosity on the palate, and yet the mouthfeel is crystalline and perfectly balanced. A compelling mix of complexity and elegance. The finish is long and pure. Has the potential to stay the distance for 50 years.”

The 2008 Salon is simply extraordinary. Sadly, there will only be 8,000 magnums for the world, as President Didier Depond took the unusual and dramatic decision to bottle the entire 2008 harvest in magnum only, which is a huge decrease over the typical production (when Salon is made) of closer to 60,000 bottles. In the glass, the 2008 is simply extraordinary. Soft and silky, with breathtaking finesse, the 2008 dazzles with a stunning interplay of bright Chardonnay fruit, soaring perfume and crystalline precision. A kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures captivates all the senses. The 2008 remains young and austere, but like so many wines in this great vintage, Salon has an extra dimension of textural depth that keeps it from being austere. It is quite simply one of the most magnificent Champagnes I have ever tasted.”

Disgorged in January 2019 with six grams per liter dosage, Salon’s 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil is a striking wine, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, fresh bread, crisp green apple, white flowers, smoke and oyster shell. Full-bodied, layered and incisive, it’s deep and concentrated, with a tightly coiled core of fruit that’s underpinned by a racy spine of acidity. Seamless and unerringly precise, it concludes with a long and penetratingly mineral finish. Immense though its potential for aging is, its intensity and balance make it pleasurable as well as persuasive, even today. Given the eyewatering price of this magnum-only release, I was determined to hold the wine to the highest possible standards, but it surpasses even the prodigious 1996 and surely ranks as the finest Salon since at least the 1970s. In short, this is a Blanc de Blancs that admits no argument.