Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 1996 Brut Champagne (750ml)  

L9619907 = Vintage 96 disgorged on the 199th day of 2007

Tasted in March, 2013

First served upon uncorking. Then left at room temperature with champagne stopper.

Initial whiff of mineral & green apple, soon overwhelmed by intense, heady aromas of kiwi and hawthorn, interwoven with nuance of sea breeze and fresh cheese.

Vivaciously linear, focused and lifted.

With aeration & as it loses the initial chill, it unleashes more assertive power, with admirable mid palate intensity & length. And it keeps getting better with time, unfolding a colossal structure with leisurely confidence.  Layers of racy kiwi & sweet hawthorn wrapped in silky,  buttery (glycerine-rich) texture. Yet the steely core of austere chalkiness & pinpoint acidity penetrates the seductive fruit from mid palate onto the finish. It charmingly seduces, then coolly kills...The acidity is so formidable that it takes the two of us more than two hours to complete the bottle.

With six years' post-disgorgement aging, it has developed lots of effortless charm, but is still formidably steely at heart. Be patient! It needs at least five years in the cellar.