Champagne Salon 1996
The 1996 Champagne Salon Cuvée S is a sparkling white Champagne produced by Salon and classified as a Champagne Grand Cru. This cuvée is 100% Chardonnay. Jancis Robinson awards it 19/20 and recommends drinking it from 2008 to 2018; James Suckling scores it 98/100. Critics highlight a deep and balanced wine that is fresh, taut, and intense, driven by precise acidity, a mineral framework, and nuances of flint, yeast, and bread dough.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Original Wooden Case of 6
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 100% Chardonnay
Salon
Salon is a Champagne house based in Mesnil-sur-Oger, on the Côte des Blancs. It produces exclusively vintage ‘blanc de blancs’ Champagnes, made from Chardonnay grapes from the Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru. The brand belongs to the Laurent-Perrier group within Société A.S., which also owns Champagne Delamotte.
- Owner
- Groupe Laurent-Perrier (via la Société A.S., détenue à 99,67 % par Laurent-Perrier)
- Maître de chais
- Olivier Vigneron
- Surface (ha)
- 1.00 ha
Histoire du domaine
Eugène-Aimé Salon, born in Pocancy in 1867, made his career in the fur trade in Paris before devoting himself to his Champagne venture. After selecting plots in Mesnil-sur-Oger, he produced his first wine in 1905 for his own consumption and that of his family and friends. His choice was based on Chardonnay, the sole grape variety grown in Mesnil-sur-Oger, and the absence of blending across vintages. The Salon house was established in 1920 to serve this clientele of wine enthusiasts, whilst 1921 marked the first commercial release of the wine. In the 1920s, Salon was notably served at Maxim’s in Paris. Following the death of Aimé Salon in 1943, the house passed to his niece, before undergoing several changes of ownership. The Laurent-Perrier group took control in 1988. Salon is now operated by Société A.S., which also owns the Delamotte brand and is 99.67 per cent owned by Laurent-Perrier. Its supply is sourced from the Jardin Salon, a one-hectare plot, as well as from nineteen small selected plots in Mesnil-sur-Oger. Only certain vintages are selected for production, and the wines are aged in the cellars for around ten years. Olivier Vigneron became cellar master at Laurent-Perrier in 2025.
Cuvée S
Cuvée S is the sole champagne of Champagne Salon, crafted exclusively in vintages deemed exceptional. It is a Blanc de Blancs made entirely from chardonnay from the grand cru Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, sourced from the Jardin de Salon and nineteen other small plots. The wine generally benefits from a long maturation in bottle in the estate's cellars before commercial release.
- Cuvée creation year
- 1905
- Style of the cuvée
- A champagne of great finesse, driven by a vibrant acidity, chalky minerality, and precise structure. Its long aging fosters balance, depth, complexity, and significant aging potential, with a general register combining citrus fruit, flowers, mineral notes, and nuances of dried fruit.
- Position within the range
- The sole cuvée of Salon and the iconic wine of the house, produced exclusively in exceptional vintages.
Histoire de la cuvée
Eugène-Aimé Salon created the first vintage in 1905 for his own personal consumption and that of his close circle. The Champagne Salon house was founded in 1920 to commercialize this creation, which notably became the champagne of Maxim's during the Roaring Twenties. Since then, the cuvée has continued to be produced only in years considered exceptional.
