Salon, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru
A warm, even hot, spring with no real change during the summer, conditions that allowed the grapes to gorge themselves on sugar while preserving good acidity. Harvest began on 23 September. Hazelnut, spices, flowers form part of the remarkable aromatic complexity of this Champagne that also has also remarkable depth of character. Perhaps the most impressive Salon of the tasting. On the palate, a sensation of flesh and opulence, but also the telltale precision and erect backbone of racy acidity, and an enthralling finish ending on a refreshing note of salinity. A truly great Salon that leaves one speechless. (YC)
£6,275.00
One wine, one vineyard, one grape: the apparent simplicity of this formula belies the challenges inherent in creating a wine of Salon’s complexity. It is testament to Eugène-Aimé Salon’s perfectionist vision, that the conditions and traditions he prescribed continue to be upheld in the production of this legendary Champagne, made on average only three times per decade.
The first vintage of Champagne Salon was 1905. It was not until the 1920s that he was to share his creation with the rest of the world.
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 Salon’s cellars for an average of ten years, after which they finally start to reveal their complexity and finesse.
Just 37 vintages were produced in the 20th century, a unique phenomenon in the world of wine.
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.
A warm, even hot, spring with no real change during the summer, conditions that allowed the grapes to gorge themselves on sugar while preserving good acidity. Harvest began on 23 September. Hazelnut, spices, flowers form part of the remarkable aromatic complexity of this Champagne that also has also remarkable depth of character. Perhaps the most impressive Salon of the tasting. On the palate, a sensation of flesh and opulence, but also the telltale precision and erect backbone of racy acidity, and an enthralling finish ending on a refreshing note of salinity. A truly great Salon that leaves one speechless. (YC)
This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline. (WK)
Incredible freshness and tightness with fantastic acidity and minerality. Full-bodied, compacted and intense. Flinty! Then light yeast and bread dough. Superb. In suspended animation!
The 2017 growing season saw a couple of violent hail events in the Barbaresco appellation, and this celebrated vineyard suffered some damage during a storm that hit on July 19th. Yields were reduced, but the wine holds its own thanks to the careful fruit selection process put in place by the Gaja family. Their 2017 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo is a shade richer in terms of flavour concentration, as is always the case with fruit from this slightly warmer growing site. However, like the other two single-vineyard Barbaresco expressions, this wine reveals a thin, sharp and nervous personality that is driven in large part by tannic firmness and acidity. Sorì San Lorenzo adds lots of dark mineral definition to cassis, wild cherry, rose and Provence herbs.
As part of the London City Bond (LCB) network, we can arrange transfer to any other LCB site for £15 + VAT (up to 10 cases of 12x75cl).
Transfer to any other storage facility is charged at UK delivery rates as per the below-
£25 + VAT – up to 3 cases 12x75cl / equivalent
£2.50 + VAT for every additional case 12x75cl / equivalent
UK duty paid delivery
Our current delivery charges for customers in the UK are shown below. Please remember that if you are taking delivery of wine bought and held in bond then duty and V.A.T. charges will be applied.
In some cases, we will be able to arrange delivery for the next day provided we are advised before 11.00am, however please give us as much notice as possible and note that during very busy periods, such as in the run-up to Christmas, special deadlines will apply.
For further details or to enquire about a specific delivery please email us enquiries@nelsonrarewine.com.
We offer daily, duty paid delivery service to the majority of UK postcodes at the below rates:
£25 + VAT – up to 3 cases 12x75cl / equivalent
£2.50 + VAT for every additional case 12x75cl / equivalent
Please note that these rates exclude Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly, The Isle of Wight, Central Scotland, Highlands & Scottish Islands.
Please contact us directly for a quote to these areas of the UK enquiries@nelsonrarewine.com.
International Delivery
For customers wishing to ship wines outside the UK we will arrange export paperwork and prepare wines to be collected by your freight forwarder of choice at an agreed date and time from LCB Burton Gateway. You will be responsible for the wines from the point at which they are collected by your forwarder.
If you would like us to arrange the export and onward delivery of your wines, please let us know and we will be happy to provide a quotation. We use a select number of trusted freight forwarders who specialise in moving fine and rare wines and can ship worldwide in temperature-controlled conditions if necessary and at competitive rates.
For deliveries outside the UK please telephone us on +44 1872 520 571 or email us enquiries@nelsonrarewine.com
We offer in bond storage (remaining duty and tax free) of any fine wines purchased from us at our custom controlled warehouse at £18 per 9 litre case (12 bottles, 6 magnums, etc.) or £15 per 4.5 litre or less a case (6 bottles, 3 magnums to 1 bottle) per year, plus V.A.T. This includes insurance and will apply to wines that remain uncollected or undelivered 30 days after the date of the sale.
Our full Terms and Conditions of Storage are available here.
