Champagne Salon - Winemaking, Best Wines (2024)
Want to know more about Champagne Salon before you add this bottle to your collection?
Since the very beginning, Champagne Salon has been known for its singularity.
This vintage Champagne is made from a single grape variety, grown in a single cru in a single terroir and a single region, in a single year, and its brilliance can be traced back to one man. Originally, Eugène Aimé Salon created this Blanc de Blancs for himself, but it has become a worldwide favorite since its commercial release.
In this article, you’ll start your tour where it all began, go through the winemaking techniques, and finally, find out the top Eight Salon Vintages You Could Invest In.
We even have a simple way for you to Get Your Hands On This Extraordinary Champagne Brand.
Further reading
- Looking to get ahead in the wine investment world? Take a look at our Extensive Guide To Wine Investment.
- Check out the best Moet Champagnes you can buy in 2024 or explore the world of Armand de Brignac.
A Quick Intro To Champagne Salon
Champagne Salon is a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) Cuvee made in the Champagne region. Some refer to it as a Grand Vin with bubbles!
Only the most exceptional vintages are used to produce this unique Champagne, and because of this, around four vintages are released every decade.
The grapes used for this Champagne are grown in what is considered as one of the most distinctive crus of the Cote des Blancs subregion. (We’ll tell you about the vineyard management in a bit.)
- Also read: Find out the world’s best Champagnes to buy in 2024! Plus, we can tell you which Champagne Glass to serve it in.
- And you don’t have to go to a day spa to get served a Refreshing Mimosa - you can mix a mean one yourself with our recipe!
The History Of Champagne Salon
In the beginning of the 20th century, Eugène Aimé Salon, a passionate winemaker and an ambitious businessman, created the first vintage of Champagne Salon.
After being captivated by Le Mesnil’s terroir, Aimé Salon decided to create a Champagne after his own heart, a Blanc de Blancs. Salon was convinced that he could make a flavorful and exceptional wine with finesse and elegance without Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier in the blend.
And he was right! His single grape variety Cuvee became a favorite around the dinner table at home - so much so, his friends and family endlessly tried to convince him to sell his Champagne.
It was only in the 1920s that he eventually decided that the rest of the world could have some of this brilliant Champagne. In 1921, Aimé commercially launched Salon wines at Maxim’s restaurant in Paris - the launch was such a success that his Champagne became the house pour.
His sister and nephew inherited the company after Aime’s death in 1943. Neither one of them were interested in the wine business and struggled to stay afloat.
After struggling for 20 years, they sold Salon to Dubonnet-Cinzano in 1963, who had no interest in developing this Champagne brand.
Eventually, the Champagne House was sold to Laurent-Perrier in 1989 and they started to distribute it internationally.
Today, the House of Salon, alongside Champagne Delamotte (fifth oldest Champagne House), is run by - Didier Depond, President of Laurent-Perrier.
Read more: Greet your guests with the Perfect Sangria as a welcoming beverage.
Salon Vineyards And Winemaking Techniques
The Chardonnay grapes chosen for Champagne Salon vintages come from a vineyard known as Jardin de Salon (Salon’s Garden), and an additional 20 contract growers in the Le Mesnil area. The Jardin de Salon vineyard is only 1 hectare of a single variety grape.
While the terms used for cru classification are different and don’t carry the same meaning as Burgundy, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is a Grand Cru rated area. The average age of the vines in this cru is around 25-40 years.
Some of the winemaking techniques used 100 years ago by Aime are still used today - even under the new management:
- When Aime started making his wine, malolactic fermentation was rarely used, which is still the case today.
- By blocking malolactic fermentation, Champagne Salon preserves the racy acidity and freshness of each vintage - an essential factor for bottle aging.
- When Laurent-Perrier took over the winery, they swapped the old demi-muids for stainless steel tanks. They also improved the working conditions but never touched Aime’s recipe for this Cuvee.
- After bottling, every single vintage is aged for another ten years and goes through disgorgement before it is released.
- Undeclared but excellent vintages are used for blending Delamotte Champagne or simply sold off to other wineries.
Fabulous Food Pairings with Champagne Salon
This Champagne is the perfect pairing with caviar, cheese, seafood, shellfish (oyster), smoked salmon, or a light dessert. It also pairs well with chicken and mushroom dishes.
The more mature vintages of Champagne Salon have truffle and forest floor notes, which makes it perfect for rich, gamey meat.
Ready to discover the best vintages from Salon?
8 Salon Vintages You Need To Buy in 2024
These are just a few of our favorites, and they would make the perfect gift for any wine enthusiast or Champagne Connoisseur.
1. 1966 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
This outstanding Salon Champagne has aromas of acacia, hazelnut, brioche, hawthorn, and toasted bread. You will experience tangy, creamy, and mineral notes on the palate and be left with a very long finish with iodine notes.
Price of 1966 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $9629
2. 1959 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
This classy Champagne has divine notes of vanilla, sugar, and white musk on the bouquet. There are some notes of ginger and wheat as well. Although the palate is quite bitter, tasting this vintage still leaves you with great memories.
Price of 1959 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $7709
3. 1964 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
This exceptional Champagne has impressive and complex notes of sherry, marmite, chervil, and wax in the bouquet. It is perfectly balanced, has a subtle mousse, fresh acidity, and gorgeous citrus fruit notes.
Price of 1964 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $4918
4. 1976 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
The aromas of this Champagne will remind you of cooked fruits, almonds, quinces, and dried fruits. This vintage boasts a perfect balance between acidity and suppleness. Its long finish supports its silky texture.
Price of 1976 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $3383
Read more: Find out if you should use a decanter before serving the intense Barbera Wine, and more.
5. 2008 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
There were no 750ml bottles of this “dream vintage” released, only 8000 magnums.
It has persistent bubbles that swirl the hedgerow aromas around the glass. It is a very intense and persistent Cuvee. This magical wine has a beautiful length and has a lot to offer after some aging.
Price of 2008 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $3202
6. 1979 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
You will find delicious notes of caramel, anise, lemon, honey, and minerality on the nose of this Salon Champagne.
It has an excellent concentration, bright acidity, mineral touch, and a delicate mousse. It has developed nicely over the years and still has more to offer.
Price of 1979 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $3194
7. 1982 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
With its pale gold color, this vintage is stunning to look at.
On the nose, this Salon Champagne continues to impress with notes of ripe fruit and toast. It has a distinguished flavor on the palate and gradually allows all the wine’s power to come out in its long finish.
Price of 1982 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $1817
8. 1990 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
The look and aromas of this stunning Salon Champagne will remind you of a hot summer’s day. You will experience hay, lemon, honey, red apples, a touch of smoke, and hazelnuts on the nose.
The palate almost “explodes” with fantastic flavors of ripe melon, white pepper, honey, and citrus fruit.
Price of 1990 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut: $1553
We can all agree that a bottle of Champagne Salon would be great at a dinner party.
But, how good a long-term investment does it make?
Why You Should Invest In Champagne Salon
Champagne Salon always comes out the door at a high price. It is a highly sought after and rare commodity - thanks to its limited production (60,000 bottles per vintage) and the fact that it's produced only in exceptional years.
It is usually a star at auctions. In 2011, at an Acker, Merrall & Condit sale, the 1955 Salon was sold for a record price of $5944.
Over the past five years, it has been one of the strongest performing Champagnes from a price perspective. In 2018, Salon outperformed the Champagne 50 with a gain of 163%. This considerable rise can be traced back to the calculated vintage releases.
Most Salon vintages also consistently get the highest scores from wine critics and other wine connoisseurs.
Best Vintages To Invest In:
If you are interested in getting a Salon vintage, look out for 1995, 1990, 1988, 1985, 1982, and 1976 vintages.
Aging Potential For Champagne Salon:
Champagne Salon has a higher aging potential than other Champagne brands like Krug or Delamotte, because of the lack of malolactic fermentation.
It also evolves beautifully over time. For instance, when the 1997 vintage was released, it was an acidic wine, but today, this vintage has more decadent, nuttier flavors that weren’t present before.
If you want to open a Salon, consider older vintages from grapes harvested at least 30 years ago. If you’re going to wait for your wine to mature (and perhaps sell for a profit), then a younger vintage is your best option.
But how do you get your hands on a bottle of the greatest Champagne?
When you have a wine investment company like Vinovest on your side, this kind of treasure hunt is easy!
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