Most Champagne houses blend dozens of crus, three grape varieties and several vintages. Salon does exactly the opposite: a single grape variety, Chardonnay; a single cru, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a grand cru of the Côte des Blancs; and a single vintage, only when it is deemed exceptional. Since 1905, the house has released just forty-five vintages. It is the region’s most radical Champagne and one of the most sought-after. This guide explains where it comes from, what’s in the glass, and presents the two vintages available in our cellar, along with their current prices.
A Parisian furrier and an obsession
Eugène-Aimé Salon was not a winegrower: a furrier in Paris and a discerning connoisseur, he dreamt of a champagne that would express a single terroir without the aid of blending. As early as 1905, he had a ‘blanc de blancs’ from Mesnil-sur-Oger produced for his own table; in 1920, he founded the house that bears his name, selected around twenty plots — including the Jardin de Salon, next to the house — and laid down a rule: a vintage only when the year warrants it. A century later, the rule still holds true. Salon now belongs to the Laurent-Perrier group, alongside its sister house Delamotte, under the direction of cellar master Michel Fauconnet.
What’s in the glass
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is the most austere and mineral-rich cru in the Côte des Blancs: chalk lies close to the surface here, and the Chardonnay produces taut, long-finishing wines that take years to open up. Salon is aged for at least ten years on racks before being disgorged, on request. When young, it is almost austere: lemon, vine blossom, damp chalk, fresh almond, and a palate of crystalline purity. With time come notes of brioche, beeswax, honey and dried fruit, whilst the tension never wanes. This is a champagne for fine dining and contemplation, not a champagne for parties. To understand what ‘grand cru’ means here, read our article on the classification of Champagne crus.
Available vintages
Salon 2015: the forty-fifth vintage
The 2015 Salon celebrates the house’s 120th anniversary and marks a return to the fundamentals: purity, elegance and precision. A pale gold colour with silvery highlights, bubbles of extreme finesse; white flowers, candied lemon, damp chalk, fresh brioche, a hint of beeswax. Produced in a hot year, it is more approachable when young than most of its older counterparts — though that doesn’t prevent it from being cellared for twenty years. €1,299.95.
Salon 2013: the late-harvest vintage
2013 was a year of late harvests, cool and long, tailor-made for Le Mesnil. The 2013 Salon is crystal-clear: candied lemon, vine blossom, chalk, fresh almond, an ethereal lightness that belies its considerable length. A collector’s vintage, priced at €1,329. This places 2013 and 2015 amongst the great years – the finest vintages in Champagne.
Why so few vintages?
Four to five vintages per decade: Salon’s rarity is not a marketing ploy but the result of strict specifications. It requires a year in which the Chardonnay from Le Mesnil reaches full maturity without losing its acidity, which, in such a cold cru, does not happen every year; then each of the twenty plots must yield a wine worthy of the final blend — for Salon does blend, but only from plots within the same village and from the same harvest. Finally, the house refuses to cut short the ageing process: a minimum of ten years on slats, often longer, and disgorgement on demand, which keeps the wine fresh right up until dispatch. The intervening years are not wasted: they are what make Delamotte’s Blanc de Blancs so great.
Delamotte, the precursor to Salon
In years when Salon does not declare a vintage, its grapes are blended into Delamotte’s Blanc de Blancs, a neighbouring and sister house. This is the most sensible way to approach the Mesnil style: the same cellar master, the same Côte des Blancs, for a fraction of the price. Our selection of Blanc de Blancs champagnes brings together Delamotte and the region’s other great Chardonnays.
Salon prices: what to expect
| Cuvée | Observed prices (inc. VAT, 75 cl) |
|---|
| Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 2015 | €1,299.95 |
| Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 2013 | €1,329 |
Prices recorded in our cellar in September 2026; these vary according to the house’s releases and availability — Salon is distributed by allocation, and each vintage sells out quickly. It features in our ranking of the world’s 10 most expensive champagnes; older vintages of Salon are also among the oldest champagnes still sought after at auction.
When to open a Salon?
- A fine fish dinner: turbot, line-caught sea bass, scallops, without overly rich sauces.
- A bottle to keep: the 2013, to be opened in ten years’ time.
- A gift for a Chardonnay lover: the 2015, ready to be appreciated.
- A blind tasting evening amongst connoisseurs: up against a Comtes de Champagne or a Dom Ruinart.
Serving and storing a Salon
Serve it between 11 and 13 °C — any colder and it closes up — in a wide white wine glass, and give it time in the glass, or even in a decanter: a young Salon needs to breathe. Store it lying down, away from light and vibrations, at between 10 and 13 °C; it is one of the few champagnes that improves with age over thirty years. Our storage and serving advice sets out the rest in detail. The available vintages are listed on the Salon house page.
