This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and 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. Unfortunately, since the 1996 Salon has been traded so zealously over the last decade, finding a bottle that hasn't travelled too far can be a challenge. But from a perfectly stored bottle, this is just the beginning.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 30/11/2010 The 1996 Salon is yet another wine that is maturing splendidly. Once focused to the point of being painfully austere and angular, today the 1996 Salon has begun to soften and fill out. My latest bottles have been rich, generous and totally compelling in every way. This bottle of the 1996 Salon is like every other bottle I have had recently, which is to say tight, tight, tight. Still, this painfully unevolved, mineral-driven wine shows tons of potential in its floral, white fruits. In a recent tasting of the 1979 Champagnes, the Salon was one of the finest wines, but it needed several hours of air to open up. Although the 1996 is pure magic in a glass, it remains a wine for the exceedingly patient.

There is always something exciting and different when trying the first glass of a new vintage of Salon. There is no other Champagne that is as vivacious and sour, almost painfully fresh and lively. This is about as good as a 1996 gets with a lovely noble class to it. The journey has begun!

A lemony hue with green tints. A very fine nose that builds in the glass: green apple, touch of mown grass and citrus fruit. Very primordial but great delineation. The palate has lovely balance, less showy than the Salon 1995. Apple, touch of lime and citrus fruits. A little steely on the mid-palate. Superb definition and delineation with that typical zen-like finish which has a touch of fresh grapefruit. This will need at least ten years of bottle maturation, but it will be worth it.

Green-tinged gold. Incredibly complex, intense bouquet of smoky, leesy orange, pear, licorice, minerals and bitter quinine. The superconcentrated citrus, quince and pear liqueur flavors convey an almost painful impression of extract and positively explode across the palate. Elegant, poised and precise in a manner rare for a wine with such flavor intensity. The vibrant, minerally, extremely long finish simply doesn't let up. This should age effortlessly for a decade or two.

Very tight little bead. Mid straw. Very distinctive. Very tightly wound. Introspective. Almost nervous but admirable. A bit like a hugely respected but utterly un-attention-seeking academic. Wonderful texture. Then opens out on the palate. Very firm. Mineral rather than fruit or veg or breadiness. (JR)

A stunning wine through and through, the 1996 Champagne Salon is one for the ages. Tasted at 28 years old in August 2024, it felt youthful and pristine. The house's stylistic focus is fully resonant yet has so much life yet to give, retaining a calling card of compact tension and nerve. On opening, it poured a medium straw hue, hardly suggesting its age, and revealed aromatics of crushed seashells, lemon confit, crystalline salted caramel, and poached apples. The palate sets this wine apart, its mousse highly refined yet lively, with buoyant acidity and chalky richness expanding through the extraordinarily long finish. A profound bottle and a profound wine. If you happen to own or come across a bottle stored well, I would venture to guess it has another 10-15 more prime years ahead of it.

This is monumental. The aromas begin with bright citrus, mineral, and saline notes and gain in amplitude with time in the glass to reveal a more exotic, almost tropical side, a well-integrated note of brioche, and just a suggestion of fresh creamery butter. The texture is still almost laser-like, with racy lemony acidity and a powerful combination of extract and vigor that carry it to a long, vigorous finish. Nearly 25 years after the harvest, this has barely evolved despite being disgorged in January 2006. Dosage 5g/L.