2006 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Salon, Champagne, Champagne, France
96+ Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate (November 2017)
The 2006 Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut has a shining silver-golden color, the bubbles are tiny and enormously fine—they probably wouldn't stop rising from the bottom of the glass if you left the wine in it instead of drinking it. On the nose, there is a fascinating, pure and fresh bouquet with acacia, chalk, incense and concentrated lemon flavors. The 2006 is mouthfilling, round and elegant on the palate; it is dense and tight but also fresh and cleansing, provided with great finesse, mineral complexity, length and structure. The finish is clear and aromatic, round and well balanced, slightly creamy, very intense, greatly finessed and truly elegant, with stimulating salinity in the aftertaste. Being restrained and generous at the same time, the 2006 Salon is a great promise rather than the greatest drinking pleasure today. Although I tasted the Salon several times over 36 hours, there is a chalky layer on everything, a taste of a wet sponge, soaked with a lot of chalk for the moment but also ultra-dark chocolate flavors (with at least 80% cacao) and candied lemon and orange zests. The truth or the soul of the 2006 Salon, I guess, is rather indicated in the almost emptied glass, from which ripe, yellow-fleshed fruit aromas (plums!), brioche, marzipan and floral flavors come out, reflecting a perfect ripeness of fruit as well as the great terroir of Le Mesnil. So, please, don't drink the 2006 straight after opening the bottle. Take a good Champagne glass and give the wine a while to breathe and open up. The aging capacity of the 2006 should be tremendous here. They call the 2006 Salon "a true romantic" and the vintage 2006 "a beautiful, golden one" at Salon. It was September that rescued the vintage with its "cool mornings and glorious days" that continued throughout the harvest, up to October 2nd. "The grapes reached optimum ripeness, giving musts with magnificent sugar levels balanced by fine acidities." The true class of the 2006 Salon will be detected only in years to come, but its talents seem to be tremendous!
97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous (July 2017)
The 2006 Salon is a very rich wine, almost uncharacteristically so. Deep and exotic the 2006 exudes richness in all of its dimensions, with myriad inflections of sumptuous fruit that fill out its ample, large-scaled frame. Today, the 2006 is surprisingly accessible for a young Salon, but it needs time to shed some baby fat. At times, the 2006 recalls the 2002, but it appears to have more phenolic intensity and overall structure. Even with all of its flamboyance and pure volume, the 2006 retains quite a bit of energy and freshness. I imagine it will be a fascinating, utterly compelling Champagne to follow over the next several decades.
97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (March 2018)
The 2006 Salon Brut Blanc De Blancs Le Mesnil is still closed and backward, but wow, it has incredible potential. Showing the more ripe, concentrated style of the vintage in its orchard/citrus fruits and chalky minerality, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, brilliant purity, elegant, bright acidity, and a big finish. It’s a big, layered, structured Salon that needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years, but it’s going to drink beautifully for two decades.