Champagne Salon & Delamotte Dinner
“Salon is the most sought-after Champagne among connoisseurs. This magnificent wine is so rare that only a few people have had the chance to taste the quintessence of Le Mesnil.”
- ‘World’s No.1 Champagne expert’, Richard Juhlin on the mystique around Salon.
“Its location is one of Delamotte’s richest assets. The chalky soil, the flora and the sloping vineyards give the grapes their exceptional character, delivering delicate, consistent champagnes.”
- James Suckling on the NV Delamotte Brut
“Salon is a mythic wine, coveted by collectors around the world. Production is small considering its renown, and since its inception in 1905, the house has produced only one Champagne, a vintage wine crafted only in the greatest years.”
- Charles Curtis MW, Decanter (September 22, 2021)
“In 2025 and in a (literally) very different climate, Salon’s terroir, its vineyards, and its winemaking team continue to express its aristocracy of origin, and all the imagination and ambition of its creator 120 ago. It remains a remarkable and remarkably rewarding act of creation.”
- Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine | Tasting notes on the 2015 Salon Le Mesnil
Sunday 26 October
Hosted by international brand ambassador for Champagne Salon & Champagne Delamotte, Grégoire Pichon
Dinner: 6.30pm, 7 Champagnes, 4 courses | $295
Since 1988, both Champagne Delamotte and Champagne Salon have belonged to what became, in the same year, the Laurent-Perrier Group; and for the past 25 years, these two sister houses have been managed by Didier Depond. Salon produces just one wine, the Cuvée S (simply known as “Salon”), and that only in what are considered the finest years. It is pure Chardonnay, exclusively from vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger on the Côte des Blancs, pure grand cru, from possibly the finest Chardonnay terroir in Champagne. Delamotte produces a range of Champagnes, the Vintage Blanc de Blancs being its flagship wine. This, too, is made entirely from grand cru fruit, but from six villages across the Côte des Blancs. To those—and they are many—who say you cannot make a really complex, complete Champagne from a single grape variety, these two wines are a regular riposte. And in the Schuster household, the best blanc de blancs are our absolute favorite Champagnes.
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine (April 14, 2023)
The Delamotte Champagne house
Founded in 1760 in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a grand cru village located in la Côte des Blancs, Champagne Delamotte works this enchanting terroir to grow chardonnay, the only white grape variety used to make champagne.
Well-reputed among sommeliers and wine enthusiasts, our champagnes are known for their consistency, delicacy and exceptional character. For over 260 years, we have been developing four different cuvées, a small range that gives amateurs and experts alike a clear understanding of the art of champagne. Our Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Blancs vintage, Brut and Rosé are quintessentiel champagne wines.
At Champagne Delamotte, we are proud to share our savoir-faire as it is our firm belief that champagne is a universal language that anybody can learn. (champagne-delamotte.com)
The Legendary Champagne Salon
A legendary wine – one that sparkles.Salon is a unique champagne. Defined by its singularity since the very beginning, this exceptional wine is the champagne of a single terroir: the Côte des Blancs; a single cru: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; a single grape variety: Chardonnay; a single year: that of a great vintage; and of one man: Eugène-Aimé Salon.
The first vintage of Champagne Salon was 1905. It was the creation of Eugène-Aimé Salon, a unique character with unwavering ambition. In love with champagne and captivated by the terroir of Le Mesnil, Eugène-Aimé Salon created a champagne after his own heart: an unparalleled Blanc de Blancs. Initially he created this for his personal pleasure only – it was not until the 1920s that he was to share his creation with the rest of the world.
Champagne Salon comes from a single hectare plot called « the Salon garden » and nineteen other small plots in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger selected by Eugène-Aimé Salon at the beginning of the 20th century. The wines are aged in our cellars for an average of ten years, after which they finally start to reveal their complexity and finesse.
The fact that Salon still conserves bottles in its cellars from nearly every vintage is testament to its legacy and honours it.
Just 37 vintages were produced in the 20th century, a unique phenomenon in the world of wine.
Today, Champagne Salon is run alongside Champagne Delamotte by Didier Depond, President, and Michel Fauconnet, Cellar Master and Production Manager of the Laurent-Perrier group.
Grégoire Piochon | Our Host
International Area Manager for Champagne Salon & Champagne Delamotte
Grégoire Piochon is currently the Export Area Sales Manager for Champagne Salon and Champagne Delamotte, a role he's held since 2019 in Hong Kong, and where he acts as a brand ambassador, sharing his expertise on the two esteemed Champagne houses, according to RocketReach and HKVCA. He began his career in the wine and spirits industry in Hong Kong, later working in London and Sydney before rejoining Salon and Delamotte to focus on the Asian market.
The Champagnes
Bracket 1
Delamotte Brut NV
A very creamy and delicious champagne with toasted and dried-apple notes. Strawberry as well. It's medium-bodied with a lovely, polished and creamy texture. 60% chardonnay, pinot noir 30% and 10% pinot meunier. 3 years in the bottle. 7.5g/L dosage. Drink now.
92 Points - James Suckling
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV
This is always an excellent blanc de blancs, with sliced apple, lemon and other citrus fruit, as well as mineral and chalk. It's medium-bodied with lovely density and a fine, creamy texture. Energetic and translucent. 4 years on the yeast and 100% grand cru. Drink or hold.
94 Points - James Suckling
Bracket 2
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2018
100% Chardonnay. One of Champagne’s more ancient houses, founded in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger back in 1721. A blend of six grands crus – Le Mesnil (20%), Avize (20%), Oger (20%), Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry. Dosage 5 g/l. Cool, crisp and unmistakably Chardonnay on both nose and palate. A touch of oak adds to the complexity on the palate. Savoury finish. Precise, lingering aftertaste, plenty of upside ageing potential. (AWH)
17/20 Points - Andy Howard MW, jancisrobinson.com
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2014
“…Here, grand cru quality is evident from the first sniff: intensity and refinement crowned by an exceptionally finely integrated toasty deliciousness. Floral fragrance marks the restrained nose with lemon-and-limeinfused orchard fruit. The palate is dancingly airy and joyously vibrant, and the energising tension continues up to the wine's long, dry pure-mineral finish. Ageing very slowly, this will reward cellaring even if it brings plentiful pleasure already. Dosage: 6.5g/l Drinking Window 2023-2035 ”
95 Points - Essi Avellan MW, CLUB OENOLOGIQUE Magazine (October 8, 2023)
Bracket 3
Delamotte Collection Edition Blanc de Blancs 2007
Seductive on opening, the 2007 Champagne Blanc De Blancs Collection takes on a richer straw hue and reveals more notes of candied citrus, custard, and fresh melon. Medium-bodied, it is a lovely wine with a rounded mouthfeel, seamless and refined, and so delicious now. With even-keeled acidity and a long-lasting finish, it’s approachable and charming, with layers revealing more layers as it opens. Less than 100 bottles will be released. Less than 3 grams per liter dosage, with just one disgorgement. Drink 2024-2034.
96+ Points - Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck (23 November 2023)
Champagne Salon Cuvée 'S' Brut Blanc de Blanc 2015
The 2015 Salon is exquisite. Bright and focused, the 2015 captures a gorgeous stylsitic middle ground between the riper and cooler years. The flavor profile leans towards the more citrus, floral and mineral-driven end of the spectrum typical of cooler years, and yet the wine is also wonderfully open-knit and accessible, with no hard edges and the textural balance that is more common in warmer years. It’s a duality that works extremely well. There is a savory undertone typical of the year, but it is a strand in the fabric rather than a dominant characteristic. I left a bottle open for more than a week, during which I observed virtually no oxidation. The 2015 might not be as overtly impressive as some recent years, rather it is a Champagne of cool sophistication and total polish. Unusually, the 2015 is being released ahead of the 2014. Drink 2025 – 2045.
97 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
”…Gloriously flattering…”
96.5+ Points, Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine
Bracket 4
Delamotte Rosé NV
This wine has been meticulously crafted using a unique blend of the house Chardonnays, comprising 88 percent of the mixture, and the remaining 12 percent is complemented with Pinot Noir that's red vinified. It boasts an inviting nose, with floral and red berry notes. The palate exudes a multi-dimensional complexity with a balanced acidity that doesn't detract from the concentrated fruit. “
93 Points - Vine Pair Magazine
93 Points Wine and Spirits Magazine