The Salon Oenothèque 2008 contains: 1 magnum of Salon 2008 2 bottles of Salon 2007 2 bottles of Salon 2006 2 bottles of Salon 2004 Disgorged January 2019 The cases will be shipped in tranches from September 2019 to March 2021. Please note due to the nature of the case and its composition, it will not be possible to split the case for delivery. Salon 2004 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+) Salon 2006 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+) Salon 2007 Drinking now to 2050+ (magnum to 2060+) Salon 2008 Drinking now to 2080+ Introduction: 2008 was an exceptional year that led ultimately to exceptional decisions. The smallest harvest on record at Salon – less than 25% of the usual volume – it was also of extraordinary quality. Tasting the vins clairs in early 2009, Président Didier Depond and Chef de Cave Michel Fauconnet were immediately struck by their profile, comparable in stature to the legendary Salon of 1982, 1966 and 1928. They decided almost instantly to bottle the entire production in magnums, the ideal format to confer the slow, delicate élevage appropriate to the vintage, and their absolute commitment to quality. This would result in just 8,000 magnums being produced, a commercial headache, but one that would surely be addressed by subsequent vintages, by way of cosmic compensation. However, the following trio of vintages refused to kowtow to the law of averages: 2009, 2010 and 2011 all fell short of Salon’s exacting standards, and were not made. It was this unusual combination of circumstances, that gave rise to the concept of the Salon Oenothèque 2008. This unique mixed case of wines, released on 18th September 2019, is a defining moment for Champagne Salon, setting it apart once again. In its uniqueness, rarity and absolute quality – enduring hallmarks of this discreet house since the outset – the Salon Oenothèque 2008 honours the legacy and audacious, pioneering spirit of its idiosyncratic founder Eugène-Aimé Salon. Alongside Salon 2008 in magnum, this special collection brings together recent and final disgorgements of the three preceding Salon vintages – 2007, 2006, 2004 – marking the last time these vintages will be released for sale. Salon – the original blanc de blancs champagne, the pioneer and icon of a style for all time. An exercise in precision, Salon is as uncompromising as it is enthralling. SALON 2008: 2008 has garnered a reputation for being a stellar vintage, however the growing season was by no means a smooth ride for vignerons in the Côte des Blancs or indeed the wider Champagne region. 2008 is the epitome of Salon, an extraordinary wine, aromatically, texturally, structurally, a paradox as it is so often described, defying definition. Didier Depond calls this the ‘dream vintage’. Its classic white flower perfume moves knowingly between innocence and exoticism. The palate is crystalline, fine as silk, with immense power building in the mouth, its incisive chalky acids commanding attention while infinite tiny bubbles smooth and titillate. Still young of course, it is less austere than it is grand, an exercise in grace through precision. Disgorged January 2019 Dosage 6.2g/l SALON 2007: Salon 2007 bears all the hallmarks of a classic Salon vintage: the purity and power, the haunting perfume both delicate and decadent, the texture refined as silk; then, the unmistakeable backbone of acid that cuts a cool swathe through the palate, leaving the stony imprint of the terroir. Disgorged January 2019 Dosage 5g/l SALON 2006: Salon 2006, most recently tasted in January 2019, is immediately expressive, the magical Salon scent somehow more golden and Autumnal in tone. Didier has called this the ‘romantic’ vintage in its contrasts of light and dark both aromatically and structurally. The wine is certainly rich, but remains refined in its textural detail and structure, underpinned by firm Salon acids. Disgorged January 2019 Dosage 5g/l SALON 2004: Salon 2004 has always shown a certain serenity. Graceful and inviting with ripe comice and hints of brioche, the wine retains the taut, saline edge of all Salon vintages, balancing curve and tension. 15 years on from the vintage (at time of writing in September 2019), this last disgorgement is vinous and mineral, showing the signature Salon freshness and salinity but already expansive on the palate. A beautiful wine, produced in small quantities. Disgorged January 2019 Dosage 5g/l. For adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.