Four
Decades of Champagne Salon and Delamotte: 1970-2004

<table>
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002 Salon
 </td>
 <td>
 96+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1999 Salon (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997 Salon
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1995 Salon (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1988 Salon
 </td>
 <td>
 89?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1983 Salon (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1970 Delamotte Collection (magnum) &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 95</td></tr></tbody></table>

I was thrilled to moderate this tasting of Salon and Delamotte
at Pebble Beach Food &amp; Wine. These are some of the most compelling, utterly exquisite&nbsp;Champagnes readers will come across.Salon President Didier Depond, who also manages Delamotte, Salon’s sister estate, joined me on the panel, along with Shayn Bjornhom MS,
Emily Wines MS and Winemaker Rajat Parr. Talk about a dream panel. My job was
to basically make sure we started and ended on time. In all honesty, though, it
was the wines that stole the show, and with good reason. For more perspective
on Salon, readers might enjoy my <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/multimedia/didier-depond-of-champagne-salon-may-2014">video interview</a> with Didier Depond
the day before this tasting.

Salon is the most elusive of Champagne’s grand marques. Only made in what the house deems the very best
years, Salon has been bottled just 38 times since 1905, its first vintage. In
case you are wondering, no, I haven’t tasted the 1905. Yet. Even when it is
released, production is tiny. Consider that there are just 60,000 bottles
(5,000 cases) of the 2002 for the entire world, a virtually insignificant
amount by Champagne standards, while&nbsp;production numbers for other&nbsp;tête
de cuvées range from a few times greater, as&nbsp;in the case with Taittinger’s Comtes to
Champagne (also considered a small production Champagne), to about 100 times greater for Dom Pérignon.&nbsp;Because&nbsp;production is so limited, older vintages of Salon are very hard to find,
hence the huge appeal of this packed tasting that headlined Pebble Beach Food
&amp; Wine this year.

Salon is located in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, in the heart of the
Côtes des Blancs. The core of Salon emerges from a small vineyard that sits
right behind the house. Salon is done entirely in steel, with no malolactic
fermentation, one of the reasons the wines need extended time in bottle prior
to release, and in most cases, several years on the cork before they start drinking well.
In vintages in which Salon is not made, the fruit goes into Delamotte, Salon’s
sister estate and neighbor. The Delamotte style is less severe, as malolactic
fermentation is employed to give the wines softer contours and more immediate
breadth.

With the exception of the 1988, all the wines were brilliant. Of
course, Champagne loves the big bottle, so it is not too much of a surprise
that the wines from magnum were superb.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1401214043239-Salon3.jpg"> 

Delamotte’s NV Blanc de
Blancs is a great way to start our tasting. The current release is based on
2008, a year that is beginning to show its class. What a beautiful, vibrant
Champagne this is. Sadly, Delamotte chooses not to disclose the base vintage or
provide disgorgement dates, so there is no way for consumers to know if they
are buying the same wine that is so incredible in this tasting. The 2004 Blanc de Blancs, also from
Delamotte, is incredibly expressive.
Rich and textured in the glass, the 2004 captures the crystalline intensity of
this great Chardonnay vintage. Smoke, slate and white orchard fruit pulsate
through to the energetic finish. The tasting is off to a seriously great start.
94/Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029.

An explosive, powerful wine, the just-released 2002 Salon is all about intensity. The
2002 is deep and resonant to the core, with fabulous richness and a towering,
statuesque personality to match. Readers will need to be patient. Today, it is
almost impossibly raw and young. Still, the 2002 is built more on fruit than
acidity, so I expect it will always be a relatively exuberant Salon. I can’t
wait to see how it ages. 96+/Drinking
window: 2017-2042. The 1999 Salon,
tasted from magnum, is the first wine in which fresh, primary fruit flavors are
replaced by more mature notes. Lemon oil, light honey and chamomile flesh out
in a radiant, expressive Champagne loaded with class. Here it is the wine’s
texture and breadth that impress above all else. The 1999 is a fabulous
transition to the older wines in this tasting, as it is both youthful and
complex. 95/Drinking window:
2014-2029.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1401214026639-Salon2002andCoverjpg.jpg"> Just being released
this year, the 2002 is only the 37th vintage produced at Salon since
1905

The 1997 Salon is
wonderfully open and expressive today. Textured and nicely layered on the
palate, the 1997 impresses for its resonance and accessibility. I don’t find
the visceral thrill of the very best years, but in exchange, the 1997 won’t
require years to come together. 95/Drinking
window: 2014-2027. Hazelnut, smoke, sage and almond are some of the many
nuances that emerge from the 1995 Salon,
which is also tasted in magnum. The 1995 takes us a little further into the
spectrum of early tertiary notes. Texturally, the 1995 is quite open and
accessible. My sense is that the 1995 won’t materially improve from here, but
that it may very well hold at this plateau for some time. The 1995 is an
excellent choice for near and medium-term drinking. 94/Drinking window: 2014-2024.

Sadly, the 1988 Salon doesn’t
live up to expectations. Now fully mature, the 1988 needs to be enjoyed sooner
rather than later. This is my second similar experience with the 1988. 89?/Drinking window: 2014. All is
forgotten quickly when the 1983 Salon
is poured from magnum. Easily one of the very best Champagnes I have ever
tasted, the 1983 has it all. Ageless and timeless, the 1983 is pure magic in
the glass. Wonderfully complex, toasty aromatics meld into expressive fruit in a
Champagne that is both mature and youthful, much like the great white
Burgundies of the same era. I only wish every Vinous reader could experience
the sheer visceral thrill of the 1983, a life-affirming, utterly magical wine
that leaves the room in awe. 98/Drinking window: 2014-2023.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1401214007719-Salon1983+article.jpg"> The
1983 Salon, served from magnum, is simply extraordinary

A poignant bookend to this tasting, the 1970 Delamotte Collection,
from magnum, is magnificent. Fully mature and expressive, the 1970 shows the
uncanny complexity Champagne can develop in bottle. Subtle hints of orange
peel, smoke, caramel and hazelnuts linger on the eternal finish. 95/Drinking window: 2014-2024.

Although there are a number of fabulous wines in this tasting,
the 1983 Salon and 1970 Delamotte have something more; they are wines that
speak to the heart, palate and intellect, which is what places them at the top
of the hierarchy of great Champagnes. This year’s Pebble Beach Food &amp; Wine
ends on a high. A very big high.

-- Antonio Galloni

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