ChampagneSalonBlancdeBlancs2015

Champagne’s finest and rarest Blanc de Blancs, Salon is the legacy of Eugène-Aimé Salon who devoted his life to creating the perfect pure-Chardonnay champagne setting up the Maison in 1911. Salon is always made from Chardonnay grapes grown in a one hectare plot at the back of the Maison, “The Salon Gardenâ€?and 19 other plots on the deep chalk soils of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The apparent simplicity of this formula belies the challenges inherent in creating a wine of Salon’s complexity. Made on average only three times per decade, the 2015 vintage is the 45th Salon to be released from this tiny House in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in it’s 120-year history. rrThis forty-fifth vintage marks a kind of rebirth, a reminder of first principles. 2015 transports us back to 1905, when the visionary Aimé Salon created his first masterpiece â€?one that nobody had dared imagine: a Champagne from a single cru, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; a single grape, Chardonnay; and a single vintage, made only in the most exceptional years. Crafted initially for the pleasure of its brilliant inventor and his close friends, Salon’s singular creation quickly captured the attention of the most discerning connoisseurs of the Roaring Twenties.rrWeather in 2015: After a mild, wet autumn and an uneventful winter without any harsh frosts, a wet spring encouraged early development in the vines, budburst for Chardonnay beginning from 14th April. From mid-May and for the next 3 months, an extended spell of dry, sunny weather settled across the region. Champagne basked in the light. The Chardonnay vines began flowering energetically on 11th June. By early August, veraison was underway, and soon after, welcome showers and cooler temperatures allowed the vines to complete the ripening cycle in calm, measured fashion. By the time harvest began on 8th September, bright sunshine had returned to Le Mesnil-sur- Oger. The summer of 2015 smashed historical records for both sunshine and drought â€?climatic conditions that brought the grapes to perfect maturity, promising a vintage of remarkable quality.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Le Mesnil-sur-OgerrGrape Varieties: 100% ChardonnayrLees Ageing: 8 years rDisgorgement: November 2024rDosage: 6 g/lrDrink: Now to 2050+rrTasting Note: 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. â€?Tasted by Antonio Galloni