Champagne Salon 1997 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil - Review

Champagne Salon
1997 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil
Champagne, France

Champagne Salon was created in 1911 by Jean-Aimé Salon, a bon vivant with a passion for Blanc de Blancs. It is the sister house of Champagne Delamotte. The two share the single cru of Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger. This terroir, considered by many to be the best Chardonnay vineyards in Champagne, is one of the secrets behind Salon's stellar reputation. Another is the care with which the grapes that go into this ultra-premium wine are selected. As a result, Salon, like many of Champagne's greatest tête de cuvées, is produced only in the most spectacular vintage years. The 1997 Salon is riper and more approachable than some other recent vintages. As a result, it is ready to drink now but will stand up to bottle aging for many years to come. A complex wine and one of the best bottles of bubbly the world has to offer, it is elegant but vibrant with aromas of wildflowers, brioche, chalk and a faint nuttiness. On the palate, it offers a sensual texture and layers of citrus, floral and mineral flavors with the yeast of a freshly baked country loaf. It is the sort of wine voluptuous enough to pair with nearly any food but it is almost a shame to mask its sophistication and beauty with any other flavor. Serve as a decadent New Year's toast or with straightforward flavors like caviar, fois gras pâté or marcona almonds.

Rating: 18/20
Price: $250

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For more information, visit www.champagnesalon.com