A Range of Jacques Selosse Champagnes with Anselme Selosse

• NV Jacques Selosse Initial

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Disgorged November, 2015 and just being released. 2007/8/9 fruit. Deep yellow. Toasty, oxidative scents without maderization. Rich, long, complex, nutty, and creamy with flavors of red apple skin. Dry, mineral finish, and soil that just clings. Pretty great way to start the tasting here.

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• NV Jacques Selosse V.O. Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Second time tasted in 2 days, this the newest release disgorged in November, 2015. Again, fruit from 07/08/09. More frothy than the Initial. More floral and lemony, and my god, I swear you can smell the rocks. Medium weight. Pure, dry, and crystalline. All stone, less clay, and even a bit of metallic notes on the finish. Steel yourself for the acidity and stone in this wine-wow.

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• NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Les Carelles

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Now we had the fascinating opportunity to taste 2 Carelles which both started with the 2003 wine. This was disgorged in late 2015 and included vintages through 2009. Almost sweet, caramel aromatics, fairly weighty, but then drier and less rich than the nose suggests, and astounding minerality. Definite oxidative notes and a soil-coated finish. Ooh, I'm sure not for everyone, but count me in.

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• NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Les Carelles

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  This one was disgorged about 3 years ago and contained wines from the 2003 to 2006 vintages. Remarkably different nose compared to the late 2015 disgorgement-much more herbal and floral, less caramel. Who would have expected that? Quite rich but not as much so as the more recently disgorged bottle. Not primarily about fruit; some toffee but the same soil drenched finale. Fascinating contrast, which points out how little you about you know about what will be in these bottles depending upon all of the variables.

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• 2005 Jacques Selosse Millésimé

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Disgorged December, 2015. Light yellow. Little effervescence. Incredibly fragrant, more orange citrus than the other wines and fine thread of brioche. Lighter weight, extremely elegant. Great balance of fruit, light creaminess, terrific acidity, and powerfully mineral finish. Young with much time in hand, but I loved this now.

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• 2003 Jacques Selosse Millésimé

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Deeper color than the 2005. Surprisingly lively mousse. Fragrant, bright, bitter citrus. Medium weight, fresh, and an herbal twist. The acidity is so mouth watering that it is hard to believe it came from this hot year. The only thing that is missing is that there is much less soil on the finish. Hard to grouse about the quality, though.

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• 1999 Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Millésimé

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Original disgorgement. Fully mature, truffled nose. Medium weight, noticeably higher dosage than any other wine tasted. Some faint fruit, some caramel but not heavily oxidative in the mouth. Lower acidity, finish dominated by the mushroom elements, not as concentrated or intense as the other 2 vintage wines. Fully mature, perhaps a few years beyond its peak unless you like really old Champagne.

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I must say that this was one of greatest, most informative, and most thought provoking tastings with a producer that I have ever had the privilege of attending. M. Selosse is a singular genius and a winemaking "philosopher/king". As much as I admired the wines beforehand, that has been amplified severalfold by this experience. The tasting complemented our other chances to drink these marvelous wines while in the region; these other bottles are noted individually since Anselme had clear stylistic and thematic goals in opening and pouring the wines he offered to us today. After tasting through a broader range, I also realized that the common characterization of Selosse wines as "oxidative" in style is a generalization with many exceptions in that some of the wines are as fresh and crisp as can be.