First taste: Salon 2012 and Delamotte 2014

The famous small and exclusive Champagne house Salon is set to release the 43rd edition of its single cuvée, hailing from the 2012 vintage, on Monday 22 November.

Decanter was granted a preview of it in the company of the house’s president and managing director, Didier Depond.

See tasting notes and scores for Salon 2012 and Delamotte 2014

‘The weather patterns of 2012 remind me of 2021, albeit with less frost this year,’ explains Didier Depond. ‘The flowering occurred in a haphazard manner and then the summer was cool, but the summer ended with fine, sunny weather, resulting in an exceptional vintage.’

Depond uses a particular reference to convey the welcome surprise of such a happy outcome: ‘I refer to this vintage as the “smile”, because we had no idea what the quality of the 2012 vintage would be before we picked the grapes. We started harvesting on 17 September in 2012….Just as we did in 2021.’

At harvest time, the 2012 vintage proved thus to be full of promise, but it was during the vinification phase that the singular style of this vintage came to light.

‘I refer to it as the smile also because during the initial winemaking stage, we saw how its style became more refined and evolved towards what we like, which is a Champagne with a racy acid framework and a long finish’, he said. And indeed, the 2012 has an unusually well-structured style with more tension on the palate than other recent vintages of Salon, which serves as a motor for a long finish.

As a rule, Salon does not undergo malolactic fermentation, and 2012 is no exception. As for the dosage, it is 6g/L so as ‘to preserve its elegant acidity, which reminds me of the Mona Lisa smile’ is how Didier Depond explains it.

It is true that this 2012 vintage has a particularly alluring appeal, and so can be enjoyed from the moment of its release. What is really striking about it, however, is its crystalline structure and fine-boned acidity, both of which impart impressive ageing potential that should please fans of fully matured Champagne.

You will have to wait a minimum of 15 to 20 years to start seeing the effect of time, but we daresay that it could even go the distance of up to 50 years for the most patient of consumers.

Unlike the 2008 vintage, for which the entire production was bottled in magnum, Salon 2012 will be available in 75cl bottle and in magnum.

This tasting was also the perfect opportunity to take stock of the 2021 vintage. ‘We managed to obtain fat, juicy grapes of considerable heft in the last few weeks,’ said Depond. ‘The cool nights, during which temperatures dropped below 10°C, preserved freshness and aromatic brightness. We harvested Chardonnay of a rare quality.’ It is highly likely that 2021 will result in yet another vintage Champagne in the Salon galaxy.

Delamotte 2014

Also launched is the Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2014.

This 100% Chardonnay from Salon’s sister house, has a dosage of 6,5 g/l and is sourced from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (20%), Avize (20%), and Oger (20%), with the rest from Cramant and Chouilly. It is from the 2014 vintage, an up-and-down year that finished well, and which has produced some delicate yet perfumed and tense Champagnes.

See tasting notes and scores for Salon 2012 and Delamotte 2014

Related content

Champagne Salon vertical: 1982 – 2008Champagne crusader Pierre Péters: producer profileFirst taste: Taittinger Comtes de Champagne new releases