Salon Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvee Le Mesnil (750ML)
From Champagne
| Vintage: | 2004 |
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| Description: | 99 De / 98 We / 98 JS / 97+ Vm / 96 Wa / 18.5 Jr. #30 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2016. A relatively easy vintage in terms of grape growing, despite a rainy month of August that led to a late-ripening end of season, with the harvest beginning on 23 September. A mineral-infused nose of pronounced limestone character is compellingly complicated by scents of truffle, spice and butter. The palate is dense and spherical with a seductive fleshy texture. The beautifully balanced finish has a touch of bewitching bitterness and salinity. Ready to be enjoyed over the next decade.-Yohan Castaing, Decanter. Salon's releases are rare and signify a great vintage-the last release was the 2002. Coming from grand cru vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, this 2004 is complex and concentrated, capturing the essence of Chardonnay in Champagne. Intense minerality and ripe apple and citrus fruits accompany the purity and crisp texture that are part of its ability to age. The wine can continue for many years, certainly to 2025 and beyond. - Rv, Wine Enthusiast. Clean and lively on the attack, the wine's intense freshness and minerality deliver on its aromatic promise – an impressive nose with notes of minerals, gunflint, stones, smoked tea, just a touch of mint. Taut and edgy in the mouth, the wine is all purity and fine acidity. The wine becomes rounder as it airs in the glass, revealing a beautiful vinosity, the curve counter-balancing its acidity to perfection. And on the finish, the merest hint of bitterness, the signature of so many truly great wines. The 2004 Salon has been superb each time I have tasted it over the last year or so. Bright, tense and crystalline, with all of the energy that is typical of both Salon and the vintage in the Côte des Blancs, the 2004 bristles with superb precision and cool, pulsating minerality. The 2004 spent a dozen years on its lees. Over the last six months or so, it has gradually begun to open up, but it is very much a wine for the cellar. Two thousand four is remembered as a vintage with record high yields. Salon (and Delamotte) did a terrific job in keeping the vines well balanced. Production was just 46,000 bottles, as opposed to the 60,000 or so that is more typical. Chef de Caves Michel Fauconnet opted for a low dosage of just 4 grams per liter. This is a tremendous showing. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media. The 2004 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut is another rather structured, tensile wine from a generally rather open vintage. Wafting from the glass are scents of citrus rind, crisp green apple, preserved citrus, fresh bread and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, tangy and chiseled, with fine depth at the core and a long, chalky finish, it's complemented by a pillowy pinpoint mousse. Unlike many wines from 2004, this Salon (tasted from a bottle disgorged in January 2019) still has potential to improve with further bottle age. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate. Disgorged (Edition) 2019. Didier Depond: ‘It's best to start drinking Salon at 15 years old'. Very direct, intense nose. Super-pure, straight up the nose and a rather drier, less juicy impression than the 2006 or 2007. Racy and pure. Punchy with an explosive finish. - Jancis Robinson |
| Price: | $ 1299.00 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from Grand Vin Wine Merchants
| Address: |
1003 4th Avenue East Olympia, WA 98506 United States |
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| Telephone (regular): | 360-350-4896 |
First added to 1000 Corks on March 11, 2022.
