Domaine Selosse: Exceptional grower Champagne

The history of Domaine Jacques Selosse

Discover the history of this estate, passed from father to son after World War II: a true grower Champagnes that rhymes with exceptional!

It all begins with the creation by Jacques Selosse of the eponymous estate located in Avize in the Côte des Blancs. Although having no winemaking roots, Jacques established himself in Avize in 1947 and worked in several vineyards, mainly helping widows manage their estates during and after the war, as he was not mobilized due to his deafness. He started with a few hectares of vines, selling his grapes to the cooperative for several years. In 1959, he made his first winemaking trials and, in 1964, began producing his own champagne, while continuing to sell part of his harvest to négociants to maintain financial stability.

Then, his son Anselme took over the reins of the estate after studying viticulture and oenology! He also honed his skills in great Burgundian estates and with very great winemakers: Coche Dury, Leflaive, and Comtes Lafon. He also went to Spain to study the wines and techniques used there. An excellent education.

He was therefore inspired by Burgundian methods and approaches, from the vineyards to the cellars, as well as some Spanish methods, such as the solera system which allows for oxidative aging. 

He took over the estate's management in 1980 and imposed his style with practices that were innovative for the time, even quite surprising, notably with the Substance cuvée, obtained by solera and marked by an oxidative, subtle, and precise style! 

This was followed by biodynamic wines, agroecology, and permaculture between the 1990s and 2000s.

It is now Guillaume's turn, grandson of Jacques and son of Anselme, to join the family estate. He took the helm in 2019 and does not necessarily replicate all of his father's practices, but he is no less talented. After a smooth transition, he benefited from excellent teachings, his talent and genius being unanimously recognized by wine professionals! 

The Terroirs, the vineyard and the methods 

The vineyard of Domaine Jacques Selosse extends over just over 8 hectares, divided into about fifty parcels, almost all classified as Grand Cru, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs. The vines are located in Avize, Cramant, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for Chardonnay, which constitutes the vast majority of the estate's plantings (7.3 hectares). The rest of the vineyard includes one hectare of Pinot Noir in Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (Premier Cru at 99%), and Ambonnay. The vines are on average more than 60 years old.

Although the Selosse family was once inspired by biodynamics, they abandoned this practice in 2003 to turn toward the principles of permaculture (Masanobu Fukuoka). The estate is constantly evolving and follows no fixed method. Although it is not certified organic, the estate respects organic standards: no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are used. The Selosse family compares the vine to a forest, advocating the support of natural balances without excessive constraint. "The forest is the most beautiful ecosystem; we do not exploit it, we simply harvest what it offers," can be read on their website.

The estate's soils are worked with plow and horse, promoting the biological activity of the soils, notably thanks to the advice of Claude Bourguignon and the use of compost. The vines are grassed and yields are limited by very short pruning.

Harvesting is carried out at full physiological maturity, with grapes often reaching 13 or 14 degrees of potential alcohol, which means that harvesting occurs later than the regional average. The harvesting team is composed of long-time faithful members, perfectly familiar with the estate's philosophy and sorting requirements. Part of the grapes is left to mature to develop botrytis, thus bringing additional complexity to the juices.

At Domaine Jacques Selosse, cellar vinifications are designed to respect the wine and its terroir, with minimal intervention. Guillaume Selosse seeks to preserve the identity and expression of his wines' terroir without disturbing, masking, or altering them.

The musts are transferred to barrels immediately after pressing, on total lees (without racking to retain only the fine lees). There is very little, if any, settling. The musts begin their fermentation naturally, by gravity, with minimal use of the pump, which intervenes only once during bottling. Vinifications are carried out by parcel and fermentations occur spontaneously, initiated by indigenous yeasts. Although several types of containers are used, the majority of fermentations take place in 228-liter Burgundian barrels. Alcoholic fermentation is accompanied by bâtonnage (lees stirring) and follows its course without haste. Malolactic fermentation occurs according to conditions, being neither sought nor prevented.

Bottling takes place in summer, followed by a secondary fermentation that lasts about three months. Aging on lees in bottle extends for a minimum of two and a half years, or even longer for vintage cuvées. Riddling is followed by storage on points until disgorgement, carried out on demand, with the date specified on the labels. Disgorgement is done manually and dosages are very discreet.

The estate also offers a cuvée, Substance, produced using the solera method. It is a perpetual wine reserve started in 1986, where each year, the wines drawn for this cuvée are replaced by wines from the latest harvest, thus allowing older vintages to "train" the younger ones, according to a system similar to that of Jerez.

Regarding the addition of sulfur, the estate uses very little, or none at all for certain cuvées and certain vintages. For example, for the 2021 vintage, no sulfur was added until bottling, and in 2023, there was no sulfur on the Chardonnays.

Vinifications and aging are done in barrels, with approximately 20-25% new wood. The estate uses fairly high toasting levels (medium to medium-plus) because the aging periods are relatively short (about 10 months) and lighter toasting only gives its patina after at least 15 months. Wood therefore plays an important role in the wine's balance. "We like the impact of wood," summarizes Guillaume Selosse. However, aging is finely adjusted. In years when flowering is excellent and almost all the seeds are present in the grape, they reduce contact with wood by using larger barrels (425 liters) to avoid excessive tannic extraction. 

The Selosses thus leave a small imprint on the Champagnes while allowing the terroir to express itself freely, that is their greatest philosophy! 

The Cuvées of Domaine Jacques Selosse 

Its cuvées, including Selosse Initial, Selosse Version Originale (also called Selosse VO), Selosse Substance (a solera initiated in 1986), Selosse Contraste, Selosse Exquise (a champagne dosed at approximately 20g/L), and Selosse Rosé, position this haute couture winemaker among the elite of the region, alongside prestigious houses such as Krug and Salon.

A range of rare single-parcel cuvées is added to this exclusive production. These are lieux-dits that Anselme Selosse vinifies separately:

- Selosse Sous le Mont, in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Blanc de noirs

- Selosse La Cote Faron, in Aÿ, Blanc de noirs

- Selosse Le Bout du Clos, in Ambonnay, Blanc de noirs

- Selosse Les Carelles, in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Blanc de blancs

- Selosse Les Chantereines, in Avize, Blanc de blancs

- Selosse Chemin de Chalons, in Cramant, Blanc de blancs

These last 2 are exclusively offered only in a very original case containing these 6 lieux-dits and bearing the name "Collection Lieux-dits" case.

Can you imagine? 2 cuvées available only in this box! These are therefore rare wines that enthusiasts are eager to acquire!

Finally, there are rare vintage Champagnes, including notably superb successes such as Selosse 1996, Selosse 1999, Selosse 2002, Selosse 2003, Selosse 2005, Selosse 2007, Selosse 2008, Selosse 2009.

A champagne to taste in your lifetime!