THE STORY OF SALON
The story of Salon’s creator, Eugène-Aimé Salon, reads like a picaresque novel — a tale of rags-toriches, or perhaps more fittingly: furs to fortune.
The son of a modest cart-maker from Le Mesnil-surOger, the young Aimé left for Paris, where he rose through the ranks of a fur merchant to become managing director, amassing both riches and connections. A bon vivant as much as a businessman, he kept a permanent table at Maxim’s, the dazzling epicentre of belle époque Paris, where champagne flowed as freely as conversation. It was here that his love affair with champagne deepened — not simply as a hedonistic pleasure to share with his many glamorous friends, but as a concept to perfect.
Legend has it that Aimé created his own champagne for his own amusement, to win a wager, or to impress his glittering circle — who among them all could possibly have the cash, competence or connections to produce a champagne with their name on it?! Others believe the story of the eccentric and aesthete, determined to create his perfect champagne. Whatever the truth, Aimé’s ambition was without precedent.
Returning to Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, he consulted with his brother-in-law Marcel Guillaume, an experienced cellar master, who illuminated for Aimé the distinctive terroir of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger — its special chalk soils, the exceptional acid profile of its Chardonnay grapes, and their potential to yield wines of power, purity and longevity. At a time when Pinot Noir reigned supreme, and blending across grapes, vineyards and years was the rule, Aimé Salon dared to dream differently: to create a single vintage, from a single cru, from a single grape.
And so the quest began, with Chardonnay the muse. Marcel’s little black book of vineyards and vignerons was plundered, and Aimé Salon set to work on an exacting plan. Just imagine the incongruity of it: the Parisian entrepreneur down from town, gliding past horse and cart in his gleaming Hispano Suiza J12, pacing the vineyards in his shiny city shoes, in pursuit of the finest plots, the most favourable gradient, the purest chalk.
Of course, his cuvée would only be made in vintages deemed exceptional, and Aimé developed a set of precise criteria to rate each harvest, based essentially on fruit ripeness, character, acid profile and balance. Of course, there were further demands in the cellar: only the first press juice would be used, and crucially, the wine must rest for many years on its lees, around a decade. Perhaps this was Aimé’s greatest insight of all, in understanding that Chardonnay’s naturally firm, taut structure could yield not only finesse and greatness, but with the passage of time, also develop charm, suppleness and allure. In creating Salon, he fundamentally reshaped the perception of Chardonnay within the world of Champagne.
In 1905, the first Salon champagne was born — a private pleasure shared among friends. By 1911, it had been launched commercially, finding a fitting stage at Maxim’s, where it became the house pour of the Parisian elite. For decades, Salon remained an insider’s secret, served to those in the know, until its legend quietly grew.
Today, Salon continues to honour Aimé’s vision, sourced from the original one-hectare “Jardin de Salon” and a small selection of special parcels in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Production remains minuscule; vintages are declared only when nature conspires to meet Salon’s exacting standards. Thanks in no small part to the inspiring leadership of Didier Depond, President of Champagne Salon and its sister house Champagne Delamotte since 1997, the rigorous methods and singular vision established by Aimé Salon continue to be upheld with passion and precision. Under Depond’s stewardship, Salon has reached unprecedented levels of global prestige while remaining resolutely true to its founding philosophy.
A single grape, a single cru, a single vintage, and the patience of time — Salon is the legacy of an extraordinary man, preserved across generations.
Didier Depond - Président, Champagne Salon
DRINKING DATES
We are often asked our opinion on specific drinking dates for Salon and pleased to provide recommendations as follows:
VINTAGE DRINK DATE
1982 Drinking now to 2030
1983 Drinking now to 2020 At absolute peak now (magnums will drink to 2030+)
1985 Drinking now to 2030 (magnum to 2040)
1988 Drinking now to 2030 (magnum to 2040)
1990 Drinking now to 2040 (magnum to 2040)
1995 Drinking now to 2050 (magnum to 2060)
1996 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+)
1997 Drinking now to 2040 (magnum to 2050)
VINTAGE DRINK DATE
1999 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+)
2002 Drinking now to 2060+ (magnum to 2070+)
2004 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+)
2006 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+)
2007 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+)
2008 Drinking now to 2080+ (in magnum only)
2012 Drinking now to 2070+ (magnum to 2080+)
2013 Drinking now to 2075+ (magnum to 2085+)
2015 Drinking now to 2075+ (magnum to 2085+)
“This wine, chiselled by nature, pays homage to the profound geology of this exceptional place, to the terroir that runs in its veins, the true source of its identity”
Ce vin, ciselé par la nature, est un hommage à la géologie profonde de ce lieu d’exception, un terroir qui coule dans ses veines, véritable source de son identité.
DIDIER DEPOND, PRÉSIDENT, CHAMPAGNE SALON
Tasting Guide
Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.
Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.
LONDON
1 Thomas More Street, London, E1W 1YZ
T +44 (0)20 7265 2400 sales@corneyandbarrow.com
EDINBURGH
Oxenfoord Castle, by Pathhead, Midlothian, EH37 5UB
T +44 (0)1875 321 921 edinburgh@corneyandbarrow.com
NORTH OF ENGLAND
4 Park Square East, Leeds, LS1 2NE
T +44 (0)1133 400 380 northofengland@corneyandbarrow.com
EAST ANGLIA
1 Rous Road
Newmarket, Suffolk , CB8 8DH
T +44 (0)1638 600 000 newmarket@corneyandbarrow.com
AYR
8 Academy Street, Ayr Ayrshire, Scotland, KA7 1HT
T +44 (0)1292 267 000 ayr@corneyandbarrow.com
www.corneyandbarrow.com