Champagne Salon masterclass – Tuesday 8th September

Is there a more coveted Champagne than Salon?

First produced in 1905 by Eugène-Aimé Salon, this prestige cuvée was the result of what was, back then, an avant-garde approach. Champenois by birth, Salon set about identifying the best plots in the region, hitting on his home town of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. There, at a time when single-varietal Champagnes were so unparalleled that the term ‘Blanc de Blancs’ didn’t even exist, he decided to make a Champagne from only Chardonnay grapes. Going further still, he stipulated that it would spend at least 10 years on its lees – again, an alien concept when economic reality meant getting the wines to market as soon as possible.

Today, Salon is still made the same way, and still sourced largely from the same one-hectare site and 19 other, smaller plots (bar one, Clos de Mesnil, which was bought by Krug in 1971). No barrels are used – ‘an enemy to freshness,’ says Salon president Didier Depond – and neither does the wine go through malolactic fermentation. Depond attributes Salon’s hallmark precision and leanness to stainless steel, and its equally famous salinity to the deep chalk soils of Le Mesnil. ‘This level of acidity in Le Mesnil is unique. It’s why everybody tells you their Chardonnay is from there,’ he says. ‘But I know how many hectares there really are…’

With an annual production of just 60,000 bottles (roughly 1% of the output of Dom Pérignon), and just ten employees, the single cuvée made by Salon remains an artisan production. We invite you to join one of those employees, Cristian Rimoldi, who will present the latest vintage – 2015, the 45th release – along with three other vintages and a trio of wines from sister house Delamotte in what should be a memorable evening.

The wines we’ll be tasting:
NV Champagne Delamotte, Brut (poured from magnum)
2018 Champagne Delamotte, Blanc de Blancs
2008 Champagne Delamotte, Blanc de Blancs Collection
2015 Champagne Salon, Cuvée S Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs
2012 Champagne Salon, Cuvée S Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs
2007 Champagne Salon, Cuvée S Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs
1999 Champagne Salon, Cuvée S Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs

Tuesday 8th September
St. James’s Room
18:30 – Glass on arrival
19:00 – Masterclass starts
20:30 – Masterclass ends

Please note, tickets are refundable for cancellations up to 5 business days before the event. Cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected]. Any cancellations within 5 business days of the event are non-refundable unless 67 Pall Mall resells the ticket to another Member. This is only possible when the event is sold out and there is a waiting list.

Please note that once your order is placed, your ticket status will display as “processing” until after the event, when your member account is then charged. You will receive an email confirmation after ordering your tickets, stating that your order is being processed – please take this as full confirmation that your booking has been finalised. For any questions, please reach out to [email protected].