This Salon Oenothèque case brings together four vintages of the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs: one 2008 magnum with two bottles each of 2004, 2006 and 2007, in the original wooden case. It was the release that first brought the 2008 out of the cellars.
About This Champagne
The 2008 was first shipped from Le Mesnil in this mixed case. All four vintages were disgorged together in January 2019 and marked 2019 edition to set them apart from earlier releases. The house gave each year a nickname: 2004 Serenity, 2006 Romantic, 2007 Light and 2008 Dream. Tasted side by side they run from the taut, mineral 2004 through the broader 2006 and the racier 2007, ending on the concentrated magnum.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Citrus oil, green apple and chalk throughout; hazelnut, praline and dried apricot in the 2006; smoke and oyster shell in the 2008.
- Palate: Pure and tense in the 2004 and 2007, rounder in the 2006, deep and tightly wound in the 2008 magnum.
- Finish: Long and mineral across all four, the 2008 the most persistent.
Serving & Food
Store the case lying down in a cool cellar. For a vertical, open the 2004 and 2007 first, then the 2006, and finish with the magnum, all at 12 to 14°C in large white-wine glasses. Keep the food simple: oysters, langoustine, then a plain roast chicken.
How to Enjoy
A vertical tasting for a small group, or a long-term holding kept intact in its original wood.
Product Details
Producer: Salon
Cuvée: Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs
Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Set Contents: 2008 magnum x1, 2004 x2, 2006 x2, 2007 x2
Disgorgement: January 2019 (2019 edition)
Region: Champagne, France
Presentation: 7-bottle original wood case
About the Maison
Within the Laurent-Perrier group, Salon is run by president Didier Depond and cellar master Michel Fauconnet, who also look after Delamotte next door in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Their biggest decision came with 2008. Tasting the base wines in early 2009, they judged the vintage fit to stand beside Salon's great years of the past, but the crop was the smallest the house had ever brought in. Instead of a normal run of bottles they put the whole vintage into magnum, some 8,000 in all, because the larger bottle ages more slowly. Depond has since called 2008 the dream vintage.
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