In the context of the vintage, the expressive and structurally open personality of Salon’s 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil took me by surprise. Expecting a taut, incisive version, considering the cool, late-ripening growing season, it shares more similarities with the 2012 rendition than differences. Disgorged in early 2023 with a dosage of 5.5 grams per liter, it soars from the glass with scents of iodine, orange zest and warm bread mingling with hints of tropical fruit. Far from linear, it is a flamboyant and elegantly glossy rendition that’s undeniably fleshier than the racy-fresh and chiseled 2007 at a similar stage of development. Laden with ripe yet vibrant acidity, complemented by a pinpoint mousse and concluding with a precise, vividly chalky finish, it is dangerously approachable even now. However, given its rarity and eye-watering market price, it would be rather hedonistic to pop the corks before it celebrates its 20th birthday. Since 1921, this marks only the 44th edition of Salon.

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