Your (Rookie) Partner-in-Wine – Salon 1999

The wine review of this week is about champagne that is a bit special one. At least it was really special for our family as we opened that on the very day we realized we were going to move to France. I had absolutely no intention to lay my hands on this bottle for many years, even decades, but the occasion got the better of me. When realizing we will leave our old and comfy life for the big unknown celebration was indeed in place and I could not really think better champagne than Salon to toast for the new life and journey which was just about to begin. I came to think of this bubbly as we are again heading to a crossroad and our life might bend to a different direction yet again. I will tell you more about this when the details are certain and confirmed but exciting news ahead, that is for sure!  

But now back to Salon. Salon Champagne is one of the most luxurious and illustrious houses in the champagne region. Salon was established in the beginning of 20th century by Eugene Aime Salon. Interestingly at first Mr. Salon wanted to start producing champagne only for himself, his friends and relatives. After the death of Mr. Salon in 1943 his family inherited the house but eventually sold it to another Champagne house, Laurent-Perrier.  First known vintage was created 1905. Since its first commercially released vintage 1921, the house has created only 37 vintages until 2006. There are vintages 2007 and 2008 waiting to be released in the future. 

Salon produces only one single champagne "S" and only in very exceptional years when the quality of the grapes is outstanding.  This means that Salon has only vintage champagnes and no non-vintage ones can be found. If you are unsure what is the difference between "vintage" and "non-vintage", the most simple answer is related to the storage capacity of the wine. Non-vintage champagnes can be stored only a couple of years since their release. This is the reason why you should not store your champagne gift bottle for years (and definitely not in room temperature!) unless it is a vintage bottle. The quality of the vintage champagne is higher or more precisely it can stand the test of time for years or decades. Not only can vintage survive time but it also improves and opens the complex tastes   during the years. This complexity and the fact that vintage champagnes have way longer cellar aging periods adds up to a higher price than the non-vintage ones (for example with Salon the cellar aging time is 10 years in stead of the normal 3-5 years).

Salon is made only from Chardonnay unlike most champagnes. It is one of the rarest and most sought-after champagne in the world. The house will never produce more than 60,000 bottles of one vintage. This 1999 vintage I am reviewing now was produced at the quantity of 50,000 bottles. The grapes, which Salon champagne is made of, are entirely hand picked from the village of Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger. 

Salon 1999

1999 was not a really great vintage for champagne region, but nevertheless when talking about Salon I must say I was more than excited about this specific bottle. And not only excited. Knowing that it is  my first Salon,  I was expecting Out of This World - experience. No doubt it was a top quality champagne, but I have to say that for the price so high, I was waiting for even more. I was left little bit in awe, as some other champagnes five times less expensive had delivered similar quality. 

The champagne has beautiful bubbles and fine color.  The scent of the champagne is little bit shy. When you get champagne of this caliber and reputation you would expect fireworks and something special, but it was just a bit lame. I was able to spot a hint of lemon and some buttery vanilla which makes it feel a bit creamy as a good champagne should. However, for me it felt still pretty young, and maybe this was because it was not even near to its best drinking window. There is still lots of room in the coming years to gain some depth and character. I am sure it will have them in coming decades. I wish I will have a chance to try the champagne again in the future. Even if that was my only bottle from 1999 vintage, I still have Salon 2002 waiting for some special moment. I will be opening that with high hopes but giving it more time to age. 

Verdict: If you only can afford one, think twice if you want to spend your money on this bottle. If you already have one, maybe wait a bit before opening it.

"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All the wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped but with others, drink the whole bottle." Paulo Coelho / Brida 

Ps. I have been receiving questions about the prices of the wines and if it really makes sense to spend hundreds and hundreds to "just wine". I will be giving my replies soon to this as this all inspired me to write a post of the subject. Is it all about Emperor's New Clothes or is there something more to it..?  Stay tuned and you'll hear my thoughts on this.