2007 Salon "Le Mesnil" Vintage

One of the storied Champagne houses, first formed in 1905, Salon has produced another stunning release to add to their long list of legendary wines. This Champagne is produced from a one-hectare parcel owned by Salon: "Salon's garden", along with 19 other smaller parcels in Mesnil-sur-Oger, which were chosen by Aimé Salon at the beginning of the century. The 2007 'Cuvée S' was given 5 g/l dosage. Golden in color, this fabulous bottling displays remarkable salinity on the nose, showing overt diatomaceous earth. White rose, with Challah bread, and Gravenstein apple aromatics complete this outstanding vintage Champagne. The mousse is thick and viscous, as it beautifully coats the mid-palate. Lazer focused and intense, marked by flavors lemon oil, nectarine rind, sour apple and suggestions of sourdough bread flavors all brightly align. This is a age-worthy Champagne which will likely need another two plus years of bottle age before it begins to show its best.

19 parcels from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; 5g/L dosage; cork a medium straw hue at 12 years of age, this is a vibrant Salon that captures the cool, coiled mood of 2007 in a bright flash of lemon, lime, crunchy granny smith apple, even hints of fennel. The grand cru magnitude of Le Mesnil infuses magnificent confidence of beautifully determined line and length, structured with the inimitable, salty and super-fine chalk minerality that reverberates with the voice of the village. Its malic acidity froths and churns in unison with its minerality, having already found a seamless harmony with the creamy texture of a full decade on lees. An effortless Salon of lighter-than- life airiness and exacting refinement, uncharacteristically approachable in its youth, though vibrantly youthful in every detail, promising a long life, even if not demanding it in the manner of the greatest Salons. It concludes with good line and length, though not in the echelons of the true greats.

This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020.

A fresh and elegant Champagne, with a light, pleasing plushness to the mousse. This weaves subtle notes of fleshy mirabelle plum and nectarine fruit, preserved lemon and pastry dough with a chalky, minerally underpinning that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2028.-A.N.

The 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil is showing very well, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus pith, smoke, crisp green apple, Anjou pear, white flowers and subtle hints of fresh herbs. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and incisive, it's fine-boned and precise, with a bright spine of acidity, an elegantly fleshy core of fruit and a pretty, pinpoint mousse. Like the other vintages of Salon reviewed here, this bottle was disgorged in January 2019.