Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 2013

99 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
A very special vintage for this wine, the 2013 Champagne Salon pours a pale yellow/green-tinged color and has a very pretty nose revealing round, pure notes of citrus blossom, a hint of almond pastry, fresh lemon meringue, and pure pear. But while the nose is expressive, the palate is still coiled and intense, with a pure, driving, chalky texture, power, and length, as well as a great deal of electricity that carries through the palate, with a pinpoint, focused mousse. This is going to be a great wine for collectors and for aging over the coming decades. This wine is singing. Comparing it with the Salon 82 and Salon 83 will be one of the great arguments over the years.

99 Points, Vinous
The 2013 Salon is a huge wine. Dense and explosive, the 2013 possesses almost shocking textural richness for a young Salon. If offers a perfect example of the vintage in the Côtes des Blancs, a year in which ripeness and acids were both elevated. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, mint and white pepper explode onto the palate. Bright saline notes pull it all back together on the finish.

98+ Points, The Wine Independent
Very light, burnished gold and animated by an extra fine mousse, the 2013 Salon is an exquisite le Mesnil-sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs from a later, and slower ripening vintage. Aged ten years on fine lees and disgorged January 2023 with a six gram per liter dosage, the 2013 brings pure, aromatic luminescence to the glass with notes of warm tarte tatin, crème brulée, citrus confit, lemon sorbet, crushed oyster shells and viburnum blossom. Medium-bodied, the mineral-driven palate is texturally poised and completed by a measured depth of fruit intensity charged with seamless acidity that coats the palate like electric satin. Well-heeled and sophisticated throughout, this 2013 Salon is pure elegance, harmony and finesse. The incredibly long finish lingers in your mind for days, if not longer.