CHAMPAGNE SALON Brut Blanc de Blancs 'Cuvee S' Le Mesnil - Cote de Blancs 2015 Bottle

Description

Champagne Salon is unlike any other house in the region. They do not produce a range of wines or a non vintage blend. Instead, they focus entirely on one single wine, from one single village, and only in the most exceptional years. The 2015 vintage is the latest release in this legendary story, marking only the 44th time Salon has been produced in over a century.

Coming from the famous chalky soils of Le Mesnil sur Oger, this is a 100% Chardonnay that captures the raw power and elegance of its terroir. The 2015 season was a warm one, but Salon has managed to retain its signature precision and focus. On the nose, it is remarkably fresh, showing notes of white flowers, lemon zest, and a distinct flinty minerality that feels like a breath of sea air. As it opens up, you find deeper layers of toasted brioche and hazelnut that come from its decade of patient ageing in the cellar.

The palate is a brilliant example of tension and grace. It has a fine and persistent mousse that carries the concentrated fruit with ease, balanced by a sharp acidity that keeps it incredibly lively. It is a soulful and honest wine that demands your full attention.

The critics have been rightly impressed. James Suckling awarded it a near perfect 99 points, while Antonio Galloni of Vinous gave it 98 points, calling it a wine of immense character. It is a spectacular achievement that will continue to evolve for many years.

VINOUS 97 points/100
Drinking window: 2025 - 2045
The 2015 Salon is exquisite. Bright and focused, the 2015 captures a gorgeous stylsitic middle ground between the riper and cooler years. The flavor profile leans towards the more citrus, floral and mineral-driven end of the spectrum typical of cooler years, and yet the wine is also wonderfully open-knit and accessible, with no hard edges and the textural balance that is more common in warmer years. It's a duality that works extremely well. There is a savory undertone typical of the year, but it is a strand in the fabric rather than a dominant characteristic. I left a bottle open for more than a week, during which I observed virtually no oxidation. The 2015 might not be as overtly impressive as some recent years, rather it is a Champagne of cool sophistication and total polish. Unusually, the 2015 is being released ahead of the 2014.


THE WINE ADVOCATE 95+ points/100
Drink Date: 2030 - 2050
Released ahead of the 2014 rendition and originating from a dry, sunny growing season, Salon’s 2015 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil, disgorged in spring 2025 with a dosage of six grams per liter, follows in the footsteps of 2013, continuing a run of releases that are friendly from the start, without the austere edge that has often characterized this cuvée in the past. It expresses itself from the glass with a deep bouquet of orange peel, linden and freshly baked bread mingled with notes of lemon confit and subtle hints of lychee and mango. Full-bodied, concentrated and broad, it is fleshy and charming, with a generous core of fruit underpinned by ripe yet racy acidity and enlivened by a pillowy mousse, before concluding with a long, saline finish. This is a structured, open-knit Salon that carries a similar substance to its two immediate predecessors and will not disappoint those who choose to open it in its youth, despite my strong recommendation to cellar it for at least a decade—if not longer—as I anticipate it will follow a comparable evolutionary trajectory to the 1990 rendition.

DECANTER 95 points/100
Drinking Window: 2026 - 2060
2015 is the current release of Salon as the team is quietly waiting for the very promising 2014 to be ready. It is a surprisingly concentrated yet open Salon, already pale gold in the glass. The ripe nose – on the poire amandine register – is confirmed by a quite a fleshy palate, as expected from this specific vintage. The hydric quality of the chalk of Le Mesnil contributed without a doubt to minimize the stress (and the green notes) of the year: the notes lemon balm and shiso offer some nice counterpoints to the more juvenile, luscious custard aromas. It deserves to be cellared. Nine years on tirage, 6g of dosage.