Avize | Marne | France
Holding a bottle of champagne from Jacques Selosse in your hands is like finding a needle in a haystack.
A priceless happiness that increases with every sip of this fine wine. With only around 50,000 bottles a year and an excellent reputation among connoisseurs, there is a real cult following for this fine champagne from the small village of Avize, which is undisputedly one of the most sought-after vintners’ champagnes.
The first chapter of an impressive success story was written in 1947, when Jacques Selosse settled in Champagne and founded a small winery. After modest beginnings, the company produced its first own champagne in 1964. The first vintages with only 2,500 bottles only hinted at the house’s current fame.
N 48° 58' 25.8672O 4° 0' 16.1856
In 1974, Jacques Selosse handed over the keys to the winery to his son Anselme, who acquired in-depth knowledge of viticulture during his studies in Burgundy. Knowledge that, coupled with his very own philosophy, was to be reflected in a world-famous champagne.
Selosse’s approximately 8 hectares of Chardonnay vines in Grand Cru sites and a few plots of Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims receive very special care. The renowned winemaker sees himself first and foremost as a servant of nature, proudly describing his champagne as “the juice of the land on which it grows”. The primary goal is to bring the fluctuations of nature into the bottle as precisely as possible. This is why Anselme Selosse switched to organic viticulture and refrains from major interventions during vinification.
The base wine matures in 228-liter oak barrels, in which the champagne develops its character, finesse and unique complexity. This is how the Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs are created. But the winemaker’s true passion is for “Substance”, which he produces using a special solera process. Anselm Selosse produces this precious specialty in a similar way to sherry. The lower barrels with the longest stored wine are successively refilled with newer wines. This results in an interplay of young, fresh and mature aromas.
It is not without reason that all connoisseurs are clamoring for Jacques Selosse’s highly individual and original champagnes, which embody old traditions and new ideas in equal measure with their purity, opulence and perfectly controlled oxidative notes.