nv. Denis Salomon, Histoire de Famille, Meunier, Extra Brut Champagne, France.
All new to me, Denis Salomon’s 100% Meunier (Blanc de Noirs) Histoire de Famille Extra Brut Champagne, a savvy blend of vintages and reserve base, is wonderfully expressive, vibrantly brisk and exciting in the glass with racy citrus, quince, apple, white cherry and tart peach fruits, as well as steely mineral, leesy hazelnut, bread dough, chalky stone, white flowers and a hint of herbs. The lively nature of of this beautiful Champagne is very compelling and I couldn’t get enough of it, making this label one I plan to follow, especially with the value on offer and the distinction of this wine in particular. The estate has 4.9 ha under vine, which are separated into 22 plots across 6 imported villages, including Vandières, Damery, Verneuil, Venteuil, Boursault and Mareuil-le-Port, with (the vines) ranging in age from 30 to 60 years, adding to the complexity in the wines. 100% Meunier Champagnes, once very obscure, have seen a huge rise in popularity in recent times, with versions like this delivering depth of fruit, richness and snappy crunchiness. This low dosage bottling has a fine elegant mousse that is a touch electric and creamy, making for wine of balance and sexy tension.
The Champagne Denis Salomon house has its roots going back to 1875 when Albert Salomon, originally from the Savoie, settled in the Marne Valley in the Champagne region and started integrating into the local wine growing culture. Most notably to us modern drinkers of Champagne, Nicolas Salomon, the 5th generation in the family, has run the estate since 2004 and has overseen the biggest rise in critical attention and quality here, with his focus on sustainable grapes, traditional vinification and mature vines. Nicolas is passionate in his approach to winemaking, noting that he is committed to vinifying each plot separately, pressing whole bunches in a traditional Coquard basket press and utilizing small stainless-steel tanks along with old French oak for the fermentation and élevage of his wines. Since 2012 he has blocked malolactic fermentation producing fresh and structured or chiseled Champagnes, as this Extra Brut Meunier shows brilliantly. I look forward to trying the rare vintage bottlings here, as well as the 100% Rosé de Meunier at Denis Salomon, and I recommend this one of real Champagne enthusiasts, it drinks beautifully on its own, but even better with food, it went nicely indeed with a caviar bliny as well as fresh briny oysters.
($60 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive