Salon 2012 750ml

September 2021 Week 4, The Wine Advocate, William Kelle
Back in 2014, Salon's president Didier Depond was quoted in the press as saying that "since 2008, there has been no genuinely great vintage in Champagne" and that a 2012 from Salon wouldn't be released. But the just-released 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil shows that he had good reason to change his mind, as to my palate this is, after the 2008, the finest Salon produced this millennium. Unwinding in the glass with notes of citrus oil, wet stones, freshly baked bread, white currants and oyster shell, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a tightly wound core of fruit, racy acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a long and resonant finish, this is a structured and powerful Salon that's a lot more incisive than, for example, the 2002 at the same stage, but which also carries more muscle and substance than a leaner vintage such as 2007. For readers that have balked at the pricing of the magnum-only 2008,

Simply put, it is a grand vin... with bubbles.
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, Aime Salon; from one single region, the Cote 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 Aime 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 Aime 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.

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