Of the roughly 19,000 growers in Champagne, about 5,000 make their own wine — aka “Grower Champagne.” Only 28 are part of the exclusive Club Trésors de Champagne, otherwise known as the Special Club. Here are the experts of Pinot Meunier. Champagne Salmon is one of those elite few, and that alone is reason enough to pay attention to their wines. But it’s far from the only reason we love them.
The Family
The Salmon winemaking legacy spans three generations, with a history of growing grapes that stretches even further back. Michel, the grandfather, was born and raised in Chaumuzy, a sleepy little town in the Ardre Valley. He worked in the vineyards most of his life before acquiring a plot of land of his own. In 1958, he produced his first vintage — a grand total of 500 bottles. Today, Michel still hangs around, but his son Olivier and grandson Alexandre run day-to-day operations, with total annual production topping out at around 100,000 bottles.
In addition to making wine, Oliver and his son share a passion for piloting hot air balloons, something that's expressed in the sculpture in front of the winery and on the logo of their Montgolfiere line of wines.
Flying over Champagne in a hot-air balloon, as we like to do, anchors us down to this terroir. We take it to heart to express tradition and exception through the quality and finesse of our productions. Our family passion for traveling in hot-air balloons is akin to that which makes us gather in the vineyards, around the great grape press, and in the cellars of the house Salmon.
Special Club
Special Club. Sounds cool, right? It totally is. It all started in 1971 with one purpose, to promote the terroir of Champagne. Unlike the big producers, who blend fruit from all over to create a uniform style, Special Club members must be designated RM (Récoltant-Manipulant, or grower-producer) and use only fruit from their estate vineyards to craft the most epic vintage bottling possible. Members submit their wines to two blind tasting panels, and if judged worthy, the wine earns a place in a uniquely shaped bottle.
The Vineyards
Tradition and authenticity run deep with these guys, and everything starts in the soil. They've been practicing sustainable farming since way before it was hip, using minimal treatments on the vines and harvesting the grapes by hand. Heck, they still use horses to plow the rows.
Of the 10 hectares of vines they own, 85% are dedicated to Pinot Meunier. There's just one lonely hectare each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. While other growers were ripping up Meunier vines to plant the more fashionable Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, these guys stayed true to their roots choosing instead to showcase this grape’s true varietal character.
Why Pinot Meunier?
The great Rémi Krug described it as “the unacknowledged grape.” It’s basically the left tackle of grapes, a key player that gets less credit than fellow teammates Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Still, there are practical reasons to grow this underdog. It buds later, making it safer to cultivate in a region where late frost often wreaks havoc. And it ripens earlier, so it can be reliably harvested at the perfect balance of ripeness and acidity. Plus, the clay-limestone soil where Salmon grows it is especially ideal for heightening its minerality and fruitiness.
Winemaking
This profound respect for tradition extends from the vineyards into the winery. While big-name producers flaunt their million-dollar bladder presses, these guys take pride in using a massive antique wood press to crush the grapes — how’s that for OG? In the cellar, it’s all hands on deck. You think making regular Cabs, Merlots, and Pinots is hard? Try mastering the Méthode Champenoise — disgorgement, dosage, blending, riddling — all done by hand, and they’ve got it down to an art.
Let’s face it — all that big-name, 500,000-cases-per-year bubbly is like the Neapolitan ice cream of the wine world. You know exactly what you’re getting, and that’s fine. But today, people want that Humphry Slocombe Dirty Chai, that Sweet Action Chocolate Mole — something unique, you know? Maybe you’ve noticed the huge uptick in demand for so-called “Grower Champagne.” What sets this stuff apart from the other big-name bubbly made by the likes of Veuve, Krug, and Moët? The big guys source grapes from hundreds, if not thousands, of growers across the region and blend them to make a “house style” that tastes basically the same year after year. Grower Champagne, on the other hand, comes from small estate vineyards and shows much more variation between vintages — it has a sense of place, a little more of that individual grape variety soul, if you will.
The Wines
Montgolfière
Montgolfière means “hot air balloon,” and these wines form the foundation of Salmon’s production while paying homage to their love of flying. The lineup includes six offerings, each with a distinct personality thanks to the unique blending of grapes, slight variations in oak, and differences in dosage.
Meunier
They’ve been making it consistently since 1958, so it only makes sense to have a collection focused exclusively on Petit Meunier. With three Champagnes — a brut, extra-brut, and brut rosé — plus one Ratafia dessert wine, this is their most focused selection.
Special Club
Champagne Salmon became a member of the Special Club in 2008 and delivered their first bottling in 2009. Their most recent 2011 vintage showcased an exceptionally crisp and bright, 100% Pinot Meunier, “zero dosage” bottling. They are one of only three producers in the club making a 100% Pinot Meunier wine.
Would you rather own a hand-forged knife made by a seventh-generation master bladesmith, or one made by a machine in a factory? You can get a basic fly-fishing pole, or a dope Sweetgrass. The same idea applies to bubbly: You can certainly survive on Krug, but for a totally different, often delightfully unexpected experience, you need to try grower Champagne made by proud families like the Salmons. Considering that only about 15% of their production ships outside France, we’re completely stoked when their wines land in our warehouse. These bottles truly show a sense of place, a unique style that’s all their own, and they never disappoint.
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