LeDomduVin: Mise en place - Part 2: Quartet

Mise en place - Part 2: Quartet

These were the second parts of the "mise en place" I did 2 weeks ago. 

I opened them for a private lunch that weekend, and they showed beautifully. 

Champagne Jacques Selosse VO "Version Originale" Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut NV (disgorged in Nov 2019)

It delivered charm, character, intensity, and concentration with great finesse and beautiful minerality. In my book, it is a classic!

Champagne Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 1996

Probably the most prestigious champagne house, Salon possesses unmatched uniqueness. Despite its age, it was gorgeously fresh and mineral, layered, complex, and long. Amazing! 

Jean-Claude Ramonet Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy 2018

Ramonet is one of my favorite producers in the Chassagne / Puligny area. The wines, with their zesty fruits, great freshness, and high minerality, have a sense of purity. And it was the case for this Bienvenues Batard Montrachet, a pure delight! 

Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg Grand Cru Burgundy 2020

It is a sacrilege to open such a young wine, yet I could not resist. It was rich, complex, and layered, offering generously ripe dark and red fruits. The palate was powerful and ample yet elegant and sophisticated, balanced and velvety, expanding beautifully towards the seamless finish. Although approachable now, it will reward those with the patience to wait for it. What a magnificent wine! 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Champagne Salon and Salon “Cuvée S” Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 2007

Champagne Salon 

Salon “Cuvée S” Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 2007

Only produced in exceptional years, with only 44 cuvées produced in 120 years, Salon is one of the rare unicorns of Champagne.

Located at the heart of the prestigious "Côte des Blancs," the vineyard of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger possesses a unique chalky terroir with excellent hydric qualities, where the Chardonnay excels and thrives.

Established in 1911 by Eugène-Aimé Salon, with the first vintage being 1905, Salon was born from his creator's love for Champagne and his captivation for the terroir of Le Mesnil, a “Grand Cru” vineyard scattered around the village of Mesnil-Sur-Oger.

Made from 100% Chardonnay sourced from a single-hectare plot called "Le Jardin Salon" and nineteen other small plots in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, selected by Eugène-Aimé Salon at the beginning, Salon is a “Blanc de Blancs”, aged for ten years on average before release.

Before Salon’s first public release in 1920, Eugène-Aimé Salon crafted all previous vintages for his own personal pleasure. The 1905, 1909, and 1911 vintages are highly coveted by collectors while being impossible to find.

In 1963, Salon was sold to Dubonet-Cinzano, which failed to develop the brand. However, in the late 1980s, things changed for the better when Laurent-Perrier purchased Salon.

Today, Didier Depond, President, and Michel Fauconnet, Cellar Master and Production Manager of the Laurent-Perrier group, manage Salon alongside Champagne Delamotte.

Salon exports 95% of its production and commands a high price as it only amounts to about 60000 regular bottles.

In the early 2000s, my first experience with the 1990 vintage was truly eye-opening, a real epiphany for my taste buds.

Later, the 1996 vintage left me speechless. It is one of the best Champagnes I have tried, sold, and served throughout my 32-year Sommelier career.

More recently, the vintages of 2002 and 2006 were truly unique and delicious in their respective ways.

Salon “Cuvée S” Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 2007

That night, I tried the 2007 vintage for the first time, and once again, it was a revelation. Its freshness, elegance, focus, minerality, concentration, and racy sophistication were mind-blowing.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2024, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Ménage à trois...

Ménage à trois... 

A Sommelier's wine norm is to try to sell at least 1 bottle per table. If not possible, at least 1 or 2 glasses, for a table of 2. And, when it comes to a table of 4 (and above), at least 1 bottle or more. 

Yet, my personal norm (or target, if you prefer), for a table of 4, (as a Sommelier and Head Sommelier/Wine Buyer, with 30 years of experience working in high-end French restaurants), consists of upselling by suggesting a wine trio composed of: 

1 Champagne (vintage preferably), 

1 white Burgundy (or a white Loire, Rhone or Alsace), and either 

1 red Bordeaux or Burgundy or Rhone  

It does not work all the time, yet, it usually works when you know how to approach your patrons with convincing words, a charming attitude and witty remarks. 

😉 😁👍🍷

More especially, if they chose the tasting menu, usually consisting of at least 4 dishes or more. 

I selected and served this wine trio to a table of 4 last night. 

@maisonchampagnesalon Cuvée 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne 1999

Believe me or not, I did not get the chance to try it, last night. I opened it and smelled it, and a little bit remained in the bottle at the end, but some of my colleagues beat me to it. From memories of previous experiences, it is a delightful and sophisticated Champagne, that I would have loved to refresh my memory with. 😀 😄 😁👍🍾🥂

@bouchardpereetfils Montrachet Grand Cru Cote de Beaune 2002

I decanted it roughly about 40 minutes prior to serving it (I opened it right after I first served the Champagne). Found it a bit shy, light, delicate and restrained at first, yet, it developed into a charming, seductive, captivating wine showing elegance, character and class. 

@chevalblancofficial Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé A 1998

I decanted it about 1 hour and a half prior to serving it and it showed wonderfully well. That said, 1998 was a great vintage for Cheval Blanc and it exceeded my expectations. Delicious, racy, classy, powerful and plentiful, yet in an elegant, refined and focused way. 

Santé! Cheers! 

Dom 

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Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).