Here’s Why Champagne Salon Vintages Are So Rare
With only 45 vintages released over its 120-year history, Champagne Salon is prized for its rarity and quality.
Founded near the very start of the 20th century by Eugène-Aimé Salon, the house of Salon today has a very simple metric for its highly reputed exclusivity. From the first vintage in 1905, created by Eugène-Aimé purely out of passion and reserved for his personal use, to the first commercially available vintage in 1921, released at the famed Parisian restaurant Maxim’s, through to the latest release—a 2015 vintage that was unveiled last year—there have been only 45 vintages of Champagne Salon. That’s one release, on average, every 2.67 years over a 120-year period.
Today, Salon’s terroir is much the same as it was during Eugène-Aimé’s time in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger: ideal mid-slope plots that combine the best of sun exposure and drainage. As with the very first vintage, a Salon champagne is a Blanc de Blancs exclusively from the Chardonnay varietal—it was something of a revelation during the early 20th century, and is prized today for the purity of its expression.
Photography by Leif Carlsson
Even this idyllic terroir and its chalky soil, however, are not enough for every harvest to meet the Salon standard. Typically, in the January following the harvest, a tasting team led by Didier Dupond, President of Champagne Salon and its sister brand Delamotte, will make the call. A promising year is one with acidity, which needs a cool winter—and perhaps a spring as well—followed ideally by a relatively short but hot summer just before the August harvest, for a balance of flavour. As for the years that do not make the cut, they are most assuredly still wines of the highest quality, and some will be destined for Delamotte’s non-vintage Blanc de Blancs.
Acidity is a must because Salon is meant for ageing. In fact, every vintage of Salon is kept for 10 years before being made available to the market—though many would counsel waiting at least another 10, or even 20, years for its immense potential to be realised. And it would be a shame not to, as only between 50,000 and 60,000 bottles are produced per vintage, putting Salon firmly in boutique territory.
Photography by Leif Carlsson
The Champagne Salon 2015 vintage benefited from a rather uneventful winter, followed by a summer that featured record-breaking sunshine and dryness—ideal conditions for grape maturity. The result is something full of archetypal promise: a delicate floral nose over a bedrock of minerality, and just a hint of counterbalancing savouriness, all delivered in an extraordinarily structured package.
At its most recent appearance in Malaysia at fine-dining establishment Potager, organised by its sole distributor for the market, Dajin Beverages, we met Grégoire Piochon, Export Area Sales Manager of Champagne Salon and Champagne Delamotte, as well as nephew to current President Dupond.
Against an exquisite menu by Potager’s head chef Masashi Horiuchi, featuring angel prawn, foie gras, kinmedai, turbot, and lamb, Piochon regaled a select gathering of wine aficionados with the reveal of the 2015 vintage, followed by the 2013 and 2002. “The 2015 vintage is only the 45th vintage of Champagne Salon, and each vintage is so unique because there is no château or domaine that is doing that,” he said.
While the 2015 exhibits the refreshing acidity and balance that are quintessentially Salon, the benefits of ageing become more pronounced with the 2013, powerful and dense with fruit. And with the 2002, the seduction is complete, with its apple tart, fleur de sel, and brioche aromas segueing into a scintillating full-bodied palate before taking a long bow to the resounding encore of its deep finish.
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