2007 Salon will become a legend

Didier Depond, president of the Champagnes Salon and Delamotte had suggested that we have lunch together. He is an extremely busy man so the date of the appointment has coughed three times. We meet at the restaurant Le Petit Sommelier which is known for its high quality wine list. What I did not notice until then was that the proximity of the Montparnasse train station means that many travelers come with their suitcases piling up in all the open spaces. My jacket given to the staff was distorted by this pyramid of suitcases.

When I arrive, I ask the table chosen by Mr. Depond and the pretty Manon, sommelière that I did not know, said to me: “I saw your brother last night”. I ask her: “Jean Audouze?” And she answers yes, astonished at this coincidence. This supposes that Didier Depond announced that I would be his guest and that she had the information. Being in advance I have time to reread the wine list and dream of a thousand good wines that deserve our interest.

Didier arrives, we kiss, and he asks Manon to serve the wines he has already provided. He serves the Champagne Salon 2007 which he tells me that I will be the first in the world to taste it. We know that the great seducers say to their conquests that this is the first time they fall in love, but why not believe what Didier told me. We choose our menus. For both of us there will be oysters, then the hearty platter of pork and other foie gras. My meat will be a leg of lamb with garlic.

We will compare the 2007 Salon Champagne in two different glasses. With one, the Champagne Salon is wide and friendly. With the other he is sharp and intense. Well, clever who would say which is better but we will continue the other champagnes with the glass that makes the 2007 sharp and intense.
The 2007 Salon’s nose is impressive, lively and salty. In the mouth we look at each other because this 2007 is the absolute definition of a big Salon. He has everything for him. Didier willingly compares to the 1997 he loves. I join him. It is not a champagne of affirmation, even if it imposes itself, but it has all the subtle grace of Salon. It’s a wonderful champagne. With oysters the association is a treat because it is the salt that brings them together. And the oysters are delicious.
On pork, on foie gras, the Salon is perfect but there are no surprises. With small sardines the agreement is major.
I am thrilled because this 2007 promises to be huge and its DNA is that of the most beautiful Salon.

On the meat Didier served Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2008. It is a beautiful champagne wide. We are not at the Salon level but we must not compare because this Delamotte has a very beautiful complexity. It is generous and easygoing.

Didier also serves the Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Collection 1999. This champagne was disgorged about 18 months ago. He is brilliant. It’s good champagne that we taste greedily because we know that we are facing a generous champagne and fine. At this point, the 1999 is much more interesting than the 2008, but the 2008 has a great future. There is in 1999 a certain race that makes it a very flexible champagne for gastronomy and very racy for drinking alone.

I brought in my musette the rest of Cyprus 1869 drunk until then with my son. It is the chocolate cake that will be the least problematic dessert for this wine. It is still amazing, with an amazing freshness and acidity and more velvety mid-palate notes. It did not vary by one gram. It must be said that in 149 years, it had time to assemble itself. I give a glass to Manon who is conquered and other friendly staff members a taste.

The food in the restaurant is simple but good because the products are good. The oysters in particular are superb. The atmosphere is that of a bistro but we can see that there are wine lovers who enjoy the excellent wine list. With Didier we found childhood memories that are common despite the fact that a generation separates us.

Didier was generous and managed to highlight the relevance of Delamotte champagnes. And he made me the gift of making me discover the Salon 2007 which will be in the history of Salon a great romantic and floral Salon, of crazy distinction. It is the soul of Salon that he delivered us in this extremely friendly meal.

Thank you for the post. This is interesting because I thought I was told in late 2016 that there would be no 2007 Salon and the juice that would normally go into Salon was used for Delamotte BdB.

Thanks, Francois, your posts are always a great read!

Good to know about the Delamotte; I’ve had some of these at big champagne tastings (not sure which vintage) and was not so impressed. I will have to give them a second chance and try one or two on their own.

Joshua,
Delamotte is a very nice champagne, not at the level of Salon but very nice, and the price makes it a good buy.

Jayson,
When Didier invited me, I did not know for which program. I knew that the 2006 was on the market one year ago, and I had never heard of a 2007. It was a big surprise.
I have drunk the Salon when they were due to be commercialised since the 1995.
The 2007 makes for me the greatest emotion with 1996 and 2002. And I love its personality.

According to Dieder, you will have Salon in 04,06,07,08(mag only), 13.

I thought that 2012 was significantly superior to 2013 in Champagne.

Michael,

In general 2012 is superior to 2013 IMO, but there are some issues/exceptions with this vintage:

  • In the Cote des Blancs, you will find a number of producers who made better wines in 2013 than 2012
  • The yield in 2012 was very low in some areas especially in the Cote des Blancs with a lot of damage in the vineyards; some producers didn’t get enough good material to make it worth making a vintage in 2012.

2012 is a great, great year for the dark grapes and is good for Chardonnay too ( especially in areas outside of the Cote des Blancs). 2013 is also a very good vintage and you will find a number of Cote des Blancs BdBs that are going to be better in 2013 than 2012 or only offered in 2012.

first in world? It’s available for sale in Denmark and Netherlands.

Alan,
As I said : “We know that the great seducers say to their conquests that this is the first time they fall in love, but why not believe what Didier told me.”

In fact I do not care. What was nice is that Didier Depond invited me in order that we drink this wine only the two of us.

It reminds me a nice story I visited Mouton early in March, largely before the week of primeurs of early April.
And I drank Mouton 2005 and Philippe Dhalluin told me : “you are the first in the world to drink Mouton 2005”.
it is on my blog I have drunk Mouton 2005 ! | Académie des vins anciens

I wrote it on the Robert Parker forum and immediately Robert Parker made a comment on this discussion saying that he had already drunk three times Mouton 2005.

I smiled, because this type of glory does not last long !

“You’re the first,” is probably said more than once by the same person, I bet. Nice story, though, enjoyed reading it.

Goes for lovers as well as wine makers