Photo by Johnny

Champagne SALON "S" Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 1979

Tasted in March, 2010

A normally disgorged bottle, with the cork as straight as a rod and full of tartrate crystals on the lower part.

Straw gold (even lighter in color than the normally disgorged Salon 88 opened in 2008!).

Tiny pinpoint bubbles in leisurely, steady effervescence.

It takes about 20 mins to air out the odd oxidative smells from the glass, then intense aromas of walnut and browned butter takes command. Actually the keynote of walnut and browned butter pervades every aspect of the wine - from nose to palate, beginning to finish. But under this heavy and authoritative lid, there are many other interesting notes discreetly presenting their elegance when the wine is served well-chilled: smell of seaside, vanilla, sesame oil, toast and then toffee.

On the palate, it’s still supremely focused, with a hard-core of beautifully ripe yet still ‘stomach-corrosive’ malic acid! Tight appley fruit and deep walnut flavors are beautifully enveloped in a velvety-smooth texture.

The highlight of this tasting comes finally at a pouring 2 hours, yes 2 hours, after uncorking: a serious bouquet of toffee, browned butter and walnut, showing the age; while the palate paradoxically takes on a youthful flush of exquisite grapefruit! You just won’t believe this to be a normally disgorged, 30-year-old bottling in blind tasting!

Then the toffee note gradually pervades on the nose and the palate, with walnut finish still classic. When it comes close to 3 hours after uncorking, the wine begins to melt down.

This is the oldest SALON I’ve ever tasted, with a strikingly more impressive fact of being the most hard-core acidic and least evolved one (in terms of age) among all my SALON experiences! What a classic vintage of 1979!

Last but not least, as an encore, when I customarily sniff the empty bottle 5 hours after uncorking: what a lovely bouquet of milk coffee...