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  • Country ranking ?

    646
  • Producer ranking ?

    18
  • Decanting time

    30min
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled scallops, smoked whitefish & fresh oysters

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Just released. Twinkly-eyed Didier Depond, p resident of Champagne Salon and in his 20th year at the company, explains that the heatwave conditions of 2003 had a significant influence on 2004: low ground water meant warmer soils, promoting growth and minimising disease. Abundant fruit set so that they took the unusual step of carrying out a green harvest. A cool August prolonged the ripening season, then September was fine for the harvest. As ...

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The Story

This Champagne is produced from a one-hectare parcel owned by Salon: "Salon’s garden", and from 19 other smaller parcels in Mesnil-sur-Oger, chosen by Aimé Salon at the beginning of the century. The wines are cellared in the bottle for an average of 10 years, gaining in complexity and finesse.

The proof that memory and history are important is shown by the bottles in the cellars from nearly all the vintages that have ever been produced at S...

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Wine Information

Dosage: 5 g/l

The 2004 vintage displays all the qualities expected of Salon : complexity, purity, freshness. But beyond this, there is a sense of serenity, promising many years of anticipation before the wine reaches its ineffable peak.

Like a volcano, deceptively still, Champagne Salon 2004 gives a quiet taste of the future, while affirming its power even now. Its lively clean attack, intense freshness and minerality do not belie the wi...

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Vintage 2004

A great example of how large yields do not necessarily mean poor quality in Champagne. As a reaction to the previous year's low yields, the vines produced one of the largest crops on record. The growing season proceeded without major difficulties but the bumper crop called for bud thinning. August brought about cooler weather and some rains, increasing the risk of rot. The massive crop, averaging 13,990 kg/ha, was picked from September 18th on...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

13 tasting notes

Tasting note

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Written Notes

A recent bottle was all walnuts, fig, butterscotch, and lemon blossoms.
Wonderfully fresh and criminally young. That trademark vibrancy from the
acidity is evident, but everything is immaculately balanced. Supple texture
and already serious complexity. Seamless with great length. 

Now, 98, but like so many, this will go even higher. Just loved it. If
there is a better champagne from 2004, I'm not sure I have seen it (perhaps
Krug?). 

  • 98p

Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 2004 was very mineral with quite pronounced acidity. Notes of green apples and lemongrass, still very young on the palate. It tastes a bit light at the moment but will probably be better in 10 years. 93+p.

  • 93p

Salon 2004 / The colour is surprisingly deep, golden glints, very fast fine bead. The nose is quite light, a hint of lime and cashew nut. It comes accross immediately streamlined, with nothing poking out. Very mineral too. Leaves the palate slowly disyfering the complexity. I feel like this will evolve quite quickly. The texture is impressive too, there is no loss of concentration in what was a big vintage in Champagne. I love the subtlety and serenity in this wine. Beautifully long and elegant. This will be very hard to leave alone. 95-97p

  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne

Grapes

100% Chardonnay

Inside Information

2004 Salon weaves together immense complexity with stunning purity and makes instant impact on the nose with fresh-baked pastry and brioche, chalky minerals, fresh white mushroom, cucumber, lemon curd and striking lemon and lime citrus fruits. The palate has an almost smoky mineral thread, toasty autolytic flavors build and expand through the mid-palate, opening to grapefruit and ripe white peach flavours, lemon sorbet and very lightly grilled hazelnuts to close. This is an impressively layered
Blanc de Blancs in which bright acidity supports the flavorsome, concentrated and fleshy texture in seamless balance. A great Salon, very composed and complex in every respect, a classically styled vintage in which this legendary Champagne has excelled. It will be a fascinatingly complex Champagne with further age. Drink now and for 10+ years.

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