Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 2006
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Spectator
Wine - Decanter
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Parker
Robert
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First of all, just wait. Once Salon 2006 has been uncorked, leave it a little while, to breathe, to open up. Then, just look at it: its shimmering golden color, glinting silver and green. The never-ending bubbles, so tiny, setting free the familiar bewitching scents of Salon in its first flush. Notes of white flowers, citrus zest, lightly toasted brioche. Then the glass fills magically with autumnal tones, fresh hazelnuts, praline, dried apricot, ripe yellow fruits. A romantic of the highest order, Salon 2006 embodies the carefree spirit of youth, tempered by experience. And there lies its true enigma and charm. To know restraint but be generous, to combine lightness with solidity. This sense of duality is confirmed in the impeccable palate structure – it is all in the education of course. Simultaneously rich and incisive, with the fine linear acidity to permit cellaring for 30 years, Salon 2006 has a long future ahead.
Matching Salon 2006 to food is a sensual delight: from diaphanous slices of Iberico ham – a brilliant pairing - to an ultra-dark chocolate tart, truffled mash, or even sublime truffled eggs, a carpaccio of tuna, all classic favorites.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
The creamy mousse of this graceful Champagne caresses the palate like cashmere, carrying a beautiful range of glazed nectarine, chopped almond, pastry and candied ginger flavors framed by vivid acidity. Seamless, with a long, lasting finish accented by minerally chalk and saline notes. Drink now through 2031.
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Decanter
This is just the 40th vintage of Salon, the first being the 1905 vintage. 2006 was a warm, ripe year, generally forward. Most grapes were a touch low in acidity, although grand cru Chardonnays - particularly in Mesnil - had higher levels. Salon's 2006 has sunny scents of lilac and peach with citrus drive. The mouthfeel is sumptuous yet mineral, showing early charm but with grip to age.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
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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, Aimé Salon; from one single region, the Côte 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 its first vintage in 1905, Champagne Salon is the creation of Aimé Salon, a champagne connoisseur enchanted then seduced by the terroir of Le Mesnil. After World War I, he was encouraged by his numerous friends to profit more fully from his wine and the house of Salon was created to cater to his new clientele. Headed by 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 neighbor and sister, Champagne Delamotte (the 5th oldest Champagne house, founded in 1760) are directed by one man, Didier Depond.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’