Salon 2015

Tasting characteristics and advice for Salon 2015

Tasting

Appearance
The wine reveals a brilliant golden hue, lifted by green and silvery highlights. The effervescence stands out for its remarkable finesse, with a graceful, persistent stream of bubbles.

Nose
The bouquet unveils a delicate, precise aromatic palette dominated by white flowers, notably linden and honeysuckle. Notes of chamomile, pineapple and beeswax complete the ensemble, while a lingering chalky minerality runs through the aromatic expression.

Palate
The palate opens generously and vibrantly, offering a captivating balance between saline freshness and brightness. The texture is rich and fleshy, reflecting a warm year with very ripe grapes, without ever losing its energy. The acidity, though present, elegantly structures the wine and carries it across the palate. The finish, dry and intense, lingers at length with a mineral impression of chalk that gradually intensifies.

Food and wine pairings

Salon 2015 pairs beautifully with oysters, whose salinity is elegantly balanced by the champagne’s vibrant acidity and minerality. It also complements langoustines, lobster, crab and shrimp with great refinement. For more elaborate preparations, this champagne elevates a salmon terrine with oysters in aspic, pig’s trotters, or classically prepared sweetbreads. Caviar is also an exceptional match, its nuanced flavors harmonizing perfectly with the wine’s minerality and delicate aromas. Delicate fish such as turbot or halibut, simply prepared, allow the champagne to fully express its character.

Serving and cellaring

Salon 2015 can be enjoyed now, but it boasts outstanding aging potential extending to around 2050, or even beyond. This remarkable longevity reflects the wine’s concentrated build and the house’s uncompromising production standards.

An outstanding blanc de blancs champagne from the terroir of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger

The estate

Officially founded in 1920 by Eugène-Aimé Salon, the Maison Salon embodies a unique philosophy in Champagne: one grape variety, one terroir, one vintage, one wine. A pioneer of the blanc de blancs style as early as 1905, Eugène-Aimé Salon established unwavering standards of excellence, producing only in exceptional years. Since 1989, Salon has been a subsidiary of the Champagne Laurent-Perrier group, led by Didier Depond since 1997, with Michel Fauconnet as cellar master.

The vineyard

The 2015 vintage is the 45th vintage produced in more than 120 years of history, underscoring the House’s extreme selectivity, as it declares on average only three to four vintages per decade. Salon 2015 comes exclusively from the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, classified as a grand cru, located about 19 kilometers south of Épernay in the Côte des Blancs in Champagne. The terroir is defined by exceptional soils of deep chalk, imparting an identifiable minerality and creating ideal conditions to develop a remarkable balance between sugar and acidity in the grapes. The vineyard includes the Jardin de Salon, an exclusive one-hectare plot replanted in 2002, as well as twenty distinct parcels selected in the early 20th century. The vines average around 25 years of age, with some reaching 40 years or more, contributing directly to the champagne’s deep, nuanced character.

The vintage

The year 2015 proved exceptional, with contrasting weather conditions. After a well-watered fall in 2014 and a remarkably mild winter of 2014-2015, spring 2015 saw rainfall that delayed the vines’ initial development. Chardonnay budbreak occurred around April 14, 2015. From mid-May to mid-August, an exceptional combination of drought, record sunshine and high temperatures marked the growing season, making it one of the hottest and driest periods of the century. Chardonnay flowered on June 11, 2015, and veraison began in early August. Rainfall from mid-August brought hydric relief and cooler temperatures, allowing the vines to complete the ripening cycle in a balanced way. Harvest in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger began on September 8, 2015 under clear skies, a significantly earlier date than typical historical norms, reflecting the impact of climate change.

Winemaking and aging

Salon 2015 was vinified according to a non-interventionist approach that respects the terroir. All fermentation and aging take place in stainless-steel tanks, excluding any influence of oak on the aromatic profile and allowing for the purest expression of the terroir. The champagne does not undergo malolactic fermentation, resulting in brighter acidity, pronounced minerality and signature vibrancy. Bottle aging on lees lasted around nine years before disgorgement in February 2025. The lees provide compounds that add texture, richness and complexity, enabling the wine to gradually develop deeper sophistication.

Grape variety

100% chardonnay.