Salon, an exceptional Champagne cuvée
A single cru, a single year, a single grape variety, a single cuvée: this is the philosophy behind Salon champagne, known only to the most enlightened and affluent connoisseurs. A look back at an exceptional wine.
At the very beginning of the 20th century, Aimé Salon, a native of Champagne who had made his fortune in the Paris fur industry, decided to produce his own champagne. For his own consumption, sometimes reserving a few bottles for his customers. In his quest for excellence, Aimé Salon decided to produce a champagne wine, a unique vintage cuvée, from the single village of Mesnil-sur-Oger, limited to the best years. At the insistence of his friends, he finally created his own Champagne Salon house in 1920, just to sell a few bottles. Since then, only 44 vintages have been produced in 102 years. Today, Salon is part of the Laurent-Perrier group, which leaves it completely independent. Didier Depond presides over the destiny of the house, and Michel Fauconnet, Laurent-Perrier's cellar master, oversees the making of the wines. Choices are made in concert, particularly when it comes to selecting a particular year. They have thus decided to release 2008, with its exceptional potential, only in magnum, and have ruled out 2009, 2010 and 2011.
A great champagne wine
Champagne Salon is a wine totally apart from the rest of Champagne. The Mesnil-sur-Oger grapes, once vinified, are bottled without blending, and cellared for an average of ten years. Made from the village's only Chardonnay grape, Salon explores all the elegance and bottleability of great whites. Indeed, Mesnil-sur-Oger wines are often taut and lively in their youth, but take on an almost unrivalled complexity in bottle. The mineral finish, with iodine and marine notes, is a strong marker of this exceptional terroir. In a way, Salon represents the quintessence of this terroir. Naturally, exceptional wines require exceptional demands. Such is the demand that the company, which produces only a few tens of thousands of bottles (and not every year), has to juggle to meet it. The result, you guessed it, is speculation and a spectacular rise in prices, especially in recent years. To taste it, it's sometimes best to approach certain restaurateurs who "play the game" and offer you affordable bottles. All that remains is to find the dish that will bring out the best in it...
To the tasting
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Salon 2012
Released at the end of 2021, this 2012 edition has spent almost ten years on its lees. Served chilled and waited 20 minutes in the glass to rise to around 14°, Salon is royal. The cordon of bubbles is intact and the color a real invitation. On the nose, although still very young, this 2012 offers slightly exotic notes and that characteristic oceanic character. The overall impression is one of rare purity. The palate matches it, very straight, very pure, but above all racy. A salon of finesse and elegance.
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Salon 1996
Right from the opening, this is mature champagne: the color is sumptuous and still very young. The nose is that of great white wines, with notes of mushroom and damp chalk. Then come dried fruit, gentian and candied grapes. Unfathomably complex. The palate is divine, with race, vibrancy, mineral tension and extraordinary length. The wine evolves with every second, and then offers superb truffle flavors. A Salon in its prime.
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Should we trust the medals on the bottles?
On a supermarket shelf, similar-looking bottles of wine are lined up at slightly contrasting prices. Without a salesperson, in a time-constrained food shopping area, a sticker placed like a jewel cuts through the act of purchasing. Gold, silver or bronze medals flash more brightly than a label that's not always easy to decipher. Award-winning wine, featured wine An award-winning wine is one that has been presented by the winery at one of the 127 competitions that award these precious badges (in 2024, according to the DGCCRF). The famous Concours Général Agricole, founded in 1870, the world's best Chardonnay or Sauvignon competitions, the Brittany or Mâcon wine competitions, the Millésime Bio challenge... There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, with no limit on participation, but not without a heavy hand in the wallet. For each cuvée entered, you'll need to pay between 10 and 150 euros, depending on the competition, not including postage and packaging costs and the purchase of macaroons in the event of victory. Attractive spin-offs A potentially interesting calculation, given the commercial visibility these awards bring. In the year following the award, sales of the vintage tend to increase by between 20% and 40%. A boon for the estate, event organizers and supermarkets alike. All the more so as the medals are pouring in. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, of the 12129 wines entered, 3361 were awarded medals, almost half of them gold. French legislation prohibits the awarding of more than a third of the samples presented. A quota with which most competitions flirt. Amateur jury Who awards these accolades? A volunteer jury, at their own expense. Mostly amateurs. The great need for people leaves little room for rigor or traceability. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, over 7,000 people were needed to taste charcuterie, cheeses, jams and wines. At this year's Chardonnay du Monde competition, more than 300 jurors took part, with a limit of 20 samples per person. The most famous estates, which don't need to boost their sales, tend to neglect these competitions. Artisanal wineries, on the other hand, may shy away from these competitions as a matter of distinction, since the shiny stickers are associated with supermarkets. A place where it takes the place of good professional advice. A wine merchant, for example, capable of selling the uniqueness of a cuvée he has followed over the years.
Fabrice Pouillon: his champagne method
Fabrice Pouillon is the third generation to run the family domaine at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in the Marne region of France, and he has an intrinsic respect for the heritage he has inherited: respect for the vines and for fine work. Constantly questioning himself, curious and eager to experiment, the Champenois celebrates his 26th harvest this September.
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