Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs

Eugène-Aimé Salon was born on 7 October 1867 in Pocancy, a village at the foot of the Côte des Blancs. He moved to Paris, secured a position with the furrier Chapal in Montreuil and went on to take charge of the company's development strategy. Advised by his brother-in-law, a cellar master, he compared the vineyards of Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and chose the plots above the church in Le Mesnil, where, the house says, the balance between sugar and acidity is perfect. His aim was an unblended champagne for his own consumption, and in 1905 he created what he called, quite simply, the Blanc de Blancs. Some years after World War I, his friends encouraged him to make more, and the house of Champagne Salon was founded in 1920. The 1921 vintage was the first released commercially. Maxim's made Salon its house champagne in the Roaring Twenties. The house calls its founder the pioneer of the Blanc de Blancs style, as no Champagne brand had marketed a single-variety wine before World War I. Eugène-Aimé Salon (1867-1943) was a member of the Club des Cents gourmet society.

• Born 7 October 1867 in Pocancy; worked in Paris for the furrier Chapal
• First vintage 1905; house founded 1920; first commercial release the 1921 vintage
• Maxim's made Salon its house champagne in the Roaring Twenties
• Since the 1928 vintage, which the house says earned Salon the unanimous recognition of connoisseurs, the wine has been made in exceptional vintages only, in limited volumes

Salon has been owned by Laurent-Perrier since 1988. Salon and Champagne Delamotte are sister houses, both located in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Champagne Salon is run alongside Champagne Delamotte by Didier Depond, President, and Michel Fauconnet, Cellar Master and Production Manager of the Laurent-Perrier group. Salon still keeps bottles from nearly every vintage in its cellars.

• Owned by Laurent-Perrier since 1988
• Sister house: Champagne Delamotte, also in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
• President: Didier Depond; Cellar Master: Michel Fauconnet

Salon is made entirely from Chardonnay grown in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a Grand Cru village of the Côte des Blancs, and the wine is labelled AOC Champagne Grand Cru. The fruit 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 Jardin de Salon lies behind the house; its vines were virused and were replanted in 2002. Most of the grapes are purchased from 19 growers in Mesnil farming 13 hectares, some from the same families from which Salon himself bought grapes. At the time of the 1985 vintage, Salon used grapes from 100% rated vineyards only, with vines all over 40 years old growing on the mid-slopes. The crumbly chalk soils let the roots descend deeply, and the chalk promotes high acidity in the grapes.

• 100% Chardonnay, all from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
• The one-hectare Salon garden plus nineteen other small plots in the village
• Jardin de Salon replanted in 2002
• Most grapes bought from 19 growers farming 13 hectares

Only the first pressing is used, and fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks; once the alcoholic fermentation is complete, the decision is made whether the wine will be worthy of Salon. Maturation also takes place in stainless steel, and malolactic fermentation is blocked. As the wine is always from a single vintage, no reserve wines are used. The wines age in the house cellars for an average of ten years; Decanter gives eight to 12 years in bottle before disgorgement. The dosage is low, at 4 to 8 g per litre. The 2012 received a dosage of 5 g/l and spent 8.5 years on the lees before disgorgement in March 2021. Production is 60,000 bottles at most. Decanter describes the style as austere in youth but with tremendous weight and vinosity, making Salon one of the few blancs de blancs that can be drunk with food.

• First pressing only; stainless steel fermentation; no malolactic fermentation
• No reserve wines: every Salon is from a single vintage
• An average of ten years in the house cellars before release
• Dosage 4 to 8 g per litre; 5 g/l for the 2012

Salon is made in exceptional vintages only. Just 37 vintages were produced in the 20th century, the 1999 being the thirty-seventh and last. The vintages are 1905, 1909, 1911, 1914, 1921, 1925, 1928, 1934, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2015. Two great years in a row, such as 1982 and 1983, are extremely rare. The 1985 was held back until the Millennium, and 20,000 bottles were produced. The house says the 1996 is being compared to the legendary 1928. The 2008 was released entirely in 8,000 magnums, and the 2012, released in 2021, ran to around 60,000 bottles and 2,500 magnums. The 2013 is the house's 44th release, and the 2015 its forty-fifth vintage.

• 37 vintages in the 20th century; 1999 was the last of them
• 2008: released entirely in 8,000 magnums
• 2013: the 44th release; 2015: the forty-fifth vintage
• Wine Spectator's Bruce Sanderson gave the 1999 94 points (non-blind) in April 2011, noting a dosage of about 5 grams per liter

Serve recent vintages just cool, between 13 and 15 degrees. For the 1995, use a glass with a curved rim, like a tulip, and let the wine air for a few minutes before tasting. For the 2015, begin with the blanc de blancs of sister house Delamotte, then serve Salon at table as you would a fine wine, with Kintoa ham from Basque country pigs, aged mountain parmesan or No. 1 oysters flashed over binchotan charcoal. A terrine of salmon and oysters in aspic suits the 2013, a tartar of langoustines or scallops marinated in kombu the 2012, and a great Parma or Iberico ham the 2004.

• Serve between 13 and 15 degrees (recent vintages)
• Tulip-shaped glass with a curved rim; let the wine air a few minutes
• Ageing potential of the 2015: over 15 years

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.champagne-salon.fr/en, https://www.champagne-salon.fr/en/mentions-legales. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/learn/wine-legend-salon-le-mesnil-1985-355675/, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/new-vintages-of-salon-and-delamotte-champagne-44865, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2022/09/iconic-champagne-brand-salon-launches-its-latest-vintage/. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.