1996 Fontanafredda Barolo 'Vigna La Rosa'

Salon honors the memory of its founder, a century on. In the 1910s, Eugène-Aimé Salon had a vision, a dream: to create a Champagne for all time, from a single grape variety, Chardonnay, laid bare in all its subtlety; from a single great terroir, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; and from a single superlative year, the vintage.

A stand-alone defined by its singularity; subtle and complex, the world’s ultimate champagne. Champagne Salon is the absolute embodiment of this quest for perfection. It contains within it the poignant beauty of nature, reflecting its long, slow toil in the silence of the cellar. This is where that astonishing backdrop of savory minerals emerged, that sensation of chalk in the mouth: an immediate hit, building slowly, gradually, ultimately all-enveloping. It was here that this virile wine took form, exceeding all expectations; here that its beautiful minerality was forged, heralding a wine with limitless aging potential. In achieving perfect balance, nature’s work is complete. 

The name Le Mesnil resonates in a special way with lovers of great wine. Nestled in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, 100% Chardonnay and 100% Grand Cru, this is the king of Champagne vineyards. It is here that the most profound expression of Chardonnay’s delicate freshness truly comes to the fore, where magnanimous nature offers a wine that is purity itself. This Champagne is produced from a 2.5-acre parcel owned by Salon (“Salon’s Garden”) and from 19 other smaller parcels in Mesnil-sur-Oger, chosen by Aimé Salon at the beginning of the 20th century.