The 1996 vintage has met with resounding success amongst the critics, with Robert Parker`s Wine Advocate commenting that it "represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it`s medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline."

The fruit of the single-hectare vineyard of Jardin de Salon is currently declassified to Delamotte, as the vines are just 14 years old, and will not be included in Salon for at least another three years. This Champagne is therefore produced from 19 longstanding growers in Mesnil-sur-Oger, who sell their fruit only to Salon. There is no non-vintage, so production is limited to only the finest years, of which this release, 1999, is just the 36th since 1905. The wines are cellared in the bottle for an average of 10 years, gaining in complexity and finesse. With only 10 employees (six in the cellar and four in the office), riddling performed by hand and typically only 50,000 bottles produced; attention to detail is the key to Salon's prowess.

This 1996 Blanc de Blancs is Salon's 35th vintage from 100% Chardonnay; Salon describes it as “sensuality of silk.” This was a summer marked by hot and dry conditions, making for excellent ripening. The harvest commenced on September 22nd; during picking the weather was summery but with cold evening temperatures, which encouraged good acidity.

Salon is typically released at 10-12 years following the harvest. On release Salon is “fruit forward” and expressive, often “closing down” for anything from 3 to 10 years. It is after this time Salon really shines, the racy mineral freshness seem lessened and the fruit develops more than primary fruit character into an exquisite champagne with freshness, complexity & an abundance of dried fruits, especially orange, lemon and dried grass.