CHAMPAGNE SALON Brut Blanc de Blancs 'Cuvee S' Le Mesnil - Cote de Blancs 2006 Bottle

Description

The 2006 Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut is an extraordinary Champagne that exemplifies the elegance of Chardonnay from this celebrated vintage, earning acclaim from top critics. Wine Enthusiast awarded it a perfect 100 points, praising its intense chalky mineral tones and perfumed apple notes, with developing toastiness for added complexity. James Suckling and both Vinous and Decanter rated it 97 points, highlighting its layers of wet chalk, dried flowers, and ripe peach flavors, along with an impressive texture and finish. The Wine Advocate scored it 95 points, noting its tangy and reserved character with aromas of smoke, toasted bread, and citrus. With a drinking window extending to 2034, this remarkable vintage promises to evolve beautifully and delights enthusiasts seeking a sophisticated experience.

*****

WINE ENTHUSIAST 100 points
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.

JAMES SUCKLING 97 points
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.

VINOUS 97 points
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. - Antonio Galloni

DECANTER 97 points
Tasted by: Yohan Castaing (at Mesnil-sur-Oger, 22 Jan 2020) Part of Champagne Salon vertical: A retrospective
Drinking Window: 2020 - 2030
June and July were idyllic, but August was rainy. September saved the vintage thanks to cool mornings and sunny days that enabled ripening to continue until 2 October. As such, a late vintage. On the nose, there is a slight note of reduction as well as hints of rancio and gentle spices underlying the dominant aromas of flowers, fruit and honey, all combining to bring captivating complexity. The mid-palate has a lower density than the older vintages, but the purity and crystalline texture bring an overall impression of remarkable precision and cut. There is a slight oakiness, notably on the finish, that is more perceptible than usual with Salon. Should stay the distance until at least 2030.

JANCIS ROBINSON 18.5++ points
Lovely forthright fruit – mandarin, nectarine. Butter and salt too, with a very open, fleshy palate, which is lighter than the nose indicates. Excellent savoury snap on the finish, with yeastiness that waits right until the finish. An aristocrat in the making. (RH)

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Drink Date: 2020 - 2034
The 2006 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut is quite tangy and reserved by the standards of this sunny, demonstrative vintage. Offering up aromas of smoke, toasted bread, orange oil, mocha and confit lemon, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with racy acids and a concentrated, surprisingly structured mid-palate. Concluding with a long and gently empyreumatic finish, this is a fine success. This bottle was disgorged in January 2019.