CHAMPAGNE SALON 2013 - Le Mesnil
The 44th release in its 120-year legacy, arrives with the grace of a Greek god—defined, poised, and irresistibly captivating. This vintage stands apart for its sheer elegance and stature, honed over a decade of meticulous cellaring. Its finely etched features and seamless curves crystallise upon approach, drawing us into its striking beauty and depth. The patience and care lavished upon this Protean masterpiece reveal an insolent charm destined to conquer hearts and palates alike.
2013 was a year of challenges and triumphs. After a harsh winter and a long, rainy spring, bud-burst arrived in April, followed by blooms under rare July sunshine. Late summer brought intense heat and bright skies, punctuated by storms and hail that tested the vineyards' resilience.
By autumn, the Chardonnay grapes reached slow, steady maturity, culminating in a harvest beginning October 1st. Despite weather-induced losses and stringent selection, the magnificent 2013 yield of 13,000 kg/hectare delivered fruit with good alcoholic content and excellent acidity—hallmarks of an exceptional vintage and a promising future for SALON 2013.
TASTING NOTES
In natural light, SALON 2013 offers a radiant robe, while golden nuances dance with glints of green in the glass, a reliable indication of a superb Blanc de Blancs. White blossom, linden flowers, jasmine and bergamot zest form its bouquet, laced with the classic minerality of Le Mesnil.
The magnitude of the terroir emerges, both subtle and profound. At once rich and long, the palate shows perfect balance, its power contained. The warm character of the vintage is tangible, boasting good structure with elegant rounded aromas of baked apple, toasted hazelnut and salted butter caramel.
The chalky, mouth-watering finish buoyed by the evanescent bubbles carries the SALON signature. The wine’s origins have the final say: Le Mesnil is expressed in the forthright, consummate and finely honed character; SALON 2013 unveils an unexpected strength that springs forth.
HOW TO ENJOY
Taste it and drink it just cool, between 13 and 15 degrees.
We strongly recommend serving SALON 2013 with meals to fully showcase its potential. Appreciate its iodine minerality with a terrine of salmon and oysters in aspic; enjoy how it proudly stands up to Champagne specialities of pigs’ feet and sweetbreads; confirm its round, silky texture when paired with foie gras croquettes.
AGING POTENTIAL
20-35 years but will outlive most humans.
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SALON is a unique champagne. Defined by its singularity since the very beginning, this exceptional wine is the champagne of a single terroir: the Côte des Blancs; a single cru: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; a single grape variety: Chardonnay; a single year: that of a great vintage; and of one man: Eugène-Aimé Salon.
Champagne SALON comes from a single hectare plot called « the SALON garden » and nineteen other small plots in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger selected by Eugène-Aimé Salon at the beginning of the 20th century. The wines are aged in our cellars for an average of ten years, after which they finally start to reveal their complexity and finesse.
The fact that Salon still conserves bottles in its cellars from nearly every vintage is testament to its legacy and honours it. Today, Champagne SALON is run alongside Champagne DELAMOTTE by Didier Depond, President, and Michel Fauconnet, Cellar Master and Production Manager of the Laurent-Perrier group.
Just 37 vintages were produced in the 20th century, a unique phenomenon in the world of wine.
Vendor (Misc) / Vineyard (Wines): CHAMPAGNE SALON