Champagne Jacques Selosse in Avize is the grower who, more than anyone, changed how people think about Champagne: a wine of place first, a sparkling wine second. Look out for V.O. Version Originale, the Rosé, Millésime vintages going back to 1996 and the wooden case holding all six Lieux-Dits.
Jacques Selosse: the Avize family estate that became a cult Champagne
Jacques Selosse started making Champagne from his own grapes in the 1950s, though for years most of the harvest went to the big houses. The turning point was his son Anselme. He trained in oenology in Beaune, where he absorbed the methods of estates such as Coche-Dury, Leflaive and Comtes Lafon, and took charge of the family domaine in 1980. He brought home a Burgundian way of thinking: low yields, barrel fermentation and wine that tastes of its vineyard, not of a house style.
Since 2018 his son Guillaume Selosse has run the estate, after several years making his own cuvées. Anselme and his wife Corinne also opened the hotel and restaurant Les Avisés in Avize in 2011.
Grand cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims
The domaine covers 8.3 hectares split across 54 parcels, nearly all of them grand cru. Most of it is Chardonnay in Avize, Cramant, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Around one hectare of Pinot Noir sits on the Montagne de Reims in Aÿ, Ambonnay and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The vines are old, with an average age of well over fifty years.
In the cellar the base wines ferment in barrel on native yeasts, see little sulphur and spend a long time on their lees. Dosage is low and several cuvées are Extra Brut. The result is an oxidative, vinous style: hazelnut, honey, brioche and ripe citrus, held together by a salty chalk backbone.
Initial, V.O. and Substance: the classic Selosse cuvées
Initial is the entry point to the house: a Blanc de Blancs Brut blended from three successive vintages from the lower slopes. V.O. Version Originale is also built from three vintages, this time from higher slopes, and bottled as an Extra Brut.
Substance is the wine that made the name. In the mid-1980s Anselme began a solera of Avize Chardonnay: each year part of the reserve is drawn off and topped up with the new vintage, just as in sherry from Jerez. Exquise is the house Sec, with a higher dosage for dessert and blue cheese, while the Rosé is Chardonnay blended with a little still red Pinot Noir.
Jacques Selosse Millésime and the six Lieux-Dits
The Millésime is made only in chosen years, from Avize Chardonnay, and released late. Vintages such as 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004 appear here, some in magnum.
Since 2010 Selosse has also released six Lieux-Dits, each from a single parcel in a different village. The Chardonnays come from Les Carelles in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chemin de Châlons in Cramant and Les Chantereines in Avize. The Pinot Noirs come from Sous le Mont in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, La Côte Faron in Aÿ and Le Bout du Clos in Ambonnay. The wooden case of all six shows one grower reading six soils side by side. For more growers and houses, browse our Champagne collection.
Frequently asked questions about Jacques Selosse
What is Jacques Selosse Initial?
Initial is the Selosse Blanc de Blancs Brut, a blend of three consecutive vintages of grand cru Chardonnay.
What is Selosse Substance?
A Blanc de Blancs from Avize made from a solera begun in the mid-1980s, so each bottling contains wine from every vintage since.
Who makes Selosse today?
Guillaume Selosse has run the domaine since 2018, taking over from his father Anselme.
Are Selosse-Pajon, Marius Selosse and Guillaume Selosse's own label the same as Jacques Selosse?
No. Selosse-Pajon is a separate Avize house and Marius Selosse is a different family label, sharing only the surname. Guillaume Selosse also bottles a few wines under his own name, apart from the Jacques Selosse range.
How should I serve Jacques Selosse?
In a white wine glass at around 10 to 12°C. Older vintages and Substance benefit from a little time in the glass before drinking.