Champagne, Jacques Selosse, Substance
About Producer
Jacques Selosse founded his Champagne house in 1949 in Avize. His son, Anselme, joined the family estate in 1974. Now a towering figure in Champagne, Anselme was ahead of his time when he introduced the artisanal approach of white burgundy-making to the then big brands-focused world of Champagne. Aiming to add a greater sense of place to his wines, he came up with the idea of trying the solera system to erase the influence of vintages in order to emphasise terroir. ‘I don’t want to make a beautiful chardonnay, I want to make a beautiful Avize’. The result is spectacular, by no means uniformly admired, with distinctive textural and flavour complexity, and ripeness levels previously thought unattainable. Anselme’s son, Guillaume, is now in charge of the family estate since 2018.
Varietals
From chardonnay vines planted on grand cru vineyards in Avize, Substance is made in a solera system with the base grapes for this cuvée coming from the 1986 vintage, the blend is topped up with more recent vintages each year. Spent 6 years on lees, disgorged in December 2015 with very low dosage. 3,000 bottles produced.
About Appellation
One of the first mentions of vines in the region was made by Saint Remigius, the Bishop of Reims who baptised the King of the Franks Clovis I in 496, who listed in his testament a vineyard in the suburb of Reims. Much has been written about the key roles of Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638-1715), a Benedictine monk at Hautvilliers Abbey, and Frère Jean Oudart (1654-1742), from Saint-Pierre-aux-Monts Abbey in Pierry, in the development of Champagne as we know today. In 1690, 'Champagne Wines' were first mentioned to designate sparkling wines of the region, and it was also the first time in France that a wine was identified as produce from a specific region. Today, the vineyards covers 34,300ha in four sub-regions, Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Côte des Bar. Within the three first sub-regions, there are 17 Grand Cru communes. While the main grape varieties are pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier, four other varietals are also used in some blends, arbane, petit meslier, pinot blanc and pinot gris (known locally as fromenteau).
Tasting Notes
Intense nose of white stone fruits, honey, toasted bread, smoky notes and floral scents, ample mouthfeel with creamy texture, impressive focus and amazing depth, multilayered flavours of juicy white peach, nectarine, pear, dried apricot, citrus, roasted nuts, hints of beeswax, baking spices and herbal infusions supported by a firm mineral spine, crisp acidity and iodine notes carrying through a long, powerful finish. This is a fascinating champagne with incredible drive and an unique oxidative solera style, redolent of flor-aged jerez. It's rich, bright yet incredibly well-balanced, and I'm often at a loss for words to describe its magnificence. One of the purest renditions of chardonnay from Avize, it’s a multidimensional wine of extraordinary poise, tension and complexity, yet displaying tremendous freshness and striking purity. (06/2021)