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Jacques Selosse
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Anselme Selosse
Anselme Selosse
Country of Origin: France
Location: Champagne
People: Anselme Selosse, Owner & Winemaker
Supplier: http://www.rarewineco.com


Since taking over Champagne Jacques Selosse in 1980, Anselme Selosse has used the uncompromising brilliance of his wines to challenge Champagne's old definitions for excellence. Anselme will deserve much of the credit if small, quality-driven growers have taken their share of the power and the big houses have fully embraced the idea of low yields, chemical-free vineyards and terroir-based wines. Anselme came of age in the 1970's, a time when the Champagne industry was famously, and pervasively, indifferent to fruit quality. Brands dominated and the town was the sole determinant of price. Along came Anselme and his most important insight - to make profound Champagne, you must start with a great wine for the base. Fortunately for him he was blessed with spectacular grand cru vineyard holdings in Avize, Cramant, and Oger.

He studied oenology not in Champagne, but in Burgundy, where he was introduced to such greats as Coche-Dury, Lafon and Leflaive. In 1974, he completed his studies and began to develop his ideas at his father's estate, centered in Avize on the Cote de Blancs. Six years later, the domaine became his, and he threw himself into radical change: dramatically reducing yields and farming organically. He learned throughout his experiences the kind of commitment needed to produce profound, individualistic wines from great terroirs. In fact, Anselme's greatest advance was his emphasis on viticulture and terroir. With low yields and fastidious viticulture, he is able to harvest fruit that is not only Champagne's most physiologically ripe, but also its most expressive. He defies convention by using only indigenous yeasts for fermentations and by minimizing the use of SO2. The innovative use of barriques allows control over oxygen in the base wines and his low-dosage movement has allowed purity and flavor. One fully realized masterpiece from his experimentations is the transcendent solera, Substance.

Media Links
Champagne Tasting: Jacques Selosse - La Cote Faron
Rare Wine Co Blog: Jacques Selosse: Out of the Wilderness
Sharon's Wine Blog: Jacques Selosse Champagne: a four-alarm fire for the senses
One Brilliant Bottle: Domaine Jacques Selosse

Social Media
Jacques Selosse Facebook
Items
Jacques Selosse NV 'Initiale' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Grand Cru AOC Net Price Reviews —
Jacques Selosse 2003 'Millesime' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Grand Cru AOC Net Price — —
Jacques Selosse NV 'Substance' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Grand Cru AOC Net Price Reviews —
Jacques Selosse NV Brut Rose, Champagne Grand Cru AOC Net Price — —
Reviews
Jacques Selosse NV 'Initiale' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Grand Cru AOC
Rating: 93

(disgorged April 24, 2012): Bright gold. A strikingly complex bouquet evokes peach nectar, poached pear, turbinado sugar marzipan and smoky minerals. Offers intense candied citrus and orchard fruit flavors that pick up honey and chalky mineral notes with air. The impressively long, sappy finish shows excellent clarity and features seductive floral, spicecake and honey qualities.

- International Wine Cellar (12/15/2012)

Jacques Selosse NV 'Substance' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Grand Cru AOC
Rating: 93

(disgorged October 5, 2011): Yellow-gold. Deeply concentrated aromas of poached pear, peach pit and jasmine, along with a spicy ginger element. In the glass, powerful pit and orchard fruit flavors pick up vanilla and candied fig, along with a refreshing kick of spiciness. Plush and expansive but lively and precise, finishing with impressive power and length.

- International Wine Cellar (12/15/2012)

Jacques Selosse NV 'Substance' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Grand Cru AOC
Rating: 98

As if it were possible, the NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Substance takes things up a notch or three. Montrachet with bubbles might be a good description for this profound, utterly moving Champagne. Waves of rich, sensual fruit supported by French oak and persistent veins of minerality all come together in this deep, totally satisfying Champagne. Even with all of the richness and depth, there is no sense of heaviness at all. This is a decidedly vibrant Substance, with fewer of the more oxidative notes this solera-style Champagne sometimes presents. Readers lucky enough to find it will enjoy one of the world's truly great wines. Disgorged October 22, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015

- The Wine Advocate (11/1/2011)