NV Jacques Selosse Initial
Community Tasting Note
Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:
Monday, December 3, 2012 - Acker BYO 2012 (Tribeca Grill, Tribeca, NY): (I have 'Disgorged 7/10 down, but I am not at all sure of that). Light yellow-green. Chalk, minerals, crushed shells. White dust and flowers. The nose radiates this powdery feel that I cannot describe well. Very different from any wine I have ever had. On the palate: very chalky and powdery yet creamy. I could lose myself in this palate and in this wine in general. Where was I? Oh yes, Chalky, dusty, driven and laser-like. Potent. Minerals and tight lemon. A singular wine, austere and focused yet full and round somehow. As I am just getting into Champagne, this wine was an epiphany for me, the perfect wine for my palate to learn from right now - complex, cerebral, austere - a thinking wine. I stand in awe. Game changer. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 2/2 = 18.5/20.
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Comment posted by Krugman:
12/15/2012 10:20:00 PM - Glad you liked it. Selosse has some great ones! One discovery I have made is that for me the Initial is by far the best value of all the Selosse wines, including the vintage and the lieu dit series. While some of those other wines might be a touch better, the quality between all the Selosse range is so close that for me the others do not justify the price premium over the Initial. So if I have the $500 it would take to get a Selosse vintage wine, I take that $ and buy 4 bottles of the Initial instead and get much more enjoyment.
Comment posted by Seth Rosenberg:
12/16/2012 8:30:00 AM - Thanks for the comment! I've been following your champagne reviews with interest as I have moved in that direction. I find them very helpful.
Comment posted by Krugman:
12/16/2012 10:56:00 AM - Thanks Seth! If you ever have any specific champagne related questions please feel free to let me know. One of the things I love about champagne is that it is still a bit of a misunderstood wine. Many people still think it is just for celebrations and that each bottle of a particular brand should taste exactly the same each time. That is fine with me because it keeps champagne under the radar a bit and keeps the prices of great champagne's lower than Bordeaux or Burgundies at similar quality points.
You have some wonderful notes on your wines as well. I will shoot you a note if I have any questions, as I am starting to get into Burgundy and have a lot to learn at this point. A taste of the 2005 Rousseau Clos St Jacques several months ago at a dinner party really opened my eyes as to how hauntingly good Burgundy can be. Regards,
Krugman
Comment posted by Seth Rosenberg:
12/16/2012 9:46:00 PM - Your specific comments on Selosse are exactly on point for me. I bought a lot of 02 Champagnes, back filled with some 96's, along with the 04 Gaston Chiquet SC that you love so much (can't give you credit for it though - I had it myself at a free Acker tasting with Terry Theise and loved it). So I have to stop for a while, and in general, couldn't really ever afford the more expensive Selosse wines, so what you said about the Initiale is good to hear. I'm excited to try it again.
Comment posted by Krugman:
12/17/2012 8:31:00 AM - You are lucky being in NYC as I am sure there are many more champagne tastings (like the Terry Theisse one you mentioned) then there are here in San Diego. Glad you like the 04 Chiquet Special Club. What I love most about it is anticipating what it will become. It is so young and fresh right now, but you can just taste that it is set to step up to another level in a couple of years with a bit more bottle age. If you love the 04 Chiquet, then I have another champagne that you really must try. It is the 2006 Pierre Peters L'Esprit Millesime (another Theisse bottling and you can read my recent tasting notes on it as well). It is also young like the Chiquet, but is still drinking at a very high level. It is so vibrant, fresh, and chalky with that signature Cote des Blancs richness. Also, the best part is that it is around $65, which is in the same ballpark as the Chiquet. The $50 to $75 price point is where I do the majority of my champagne buying, as that is the threshold where you can find world class quality if you know where to look (especially given that I don't have a huge budget).
On the Selosse front, if you do eventually want to try something other than the Initial, I would pick the VO. It is even more vibrant than the Initial with a bit more precision. It is usually about $40-$50 more per bottle. Many people talk about the Selosse Substance as being much better than the Initial and VO, but I just do not buy it. For me, the Substance loses some of the younger and more vibrant flavors that the Initial and VO have because of the older portion of the Solera. It is more complex than the Initial and VO, but that is really the only advantage that it has and it is not really worth the $300 price tag when you can track down initial for $120-$130.
Comment posted by Seth Rosenberg:
12/17/2012 8:59:00 AM - Thanks for the rec - I'm trying to be good and keep to a complete buying freeze for a little while, but will keep that in mind for the future. What are your thoughts on Vouette & Sorbee? I saw RWC's offer on the Blanc de Noirs and it seems like the style is up my alley (I think I saw in a comment of yours that you like them), but from the CT reviews, I was more interested in the BdB. Thoughts?
Comment posted by Krugman:
12/17/2012 9:21:00 AM - I am trying a buying freeze right now as well. So far I have lasted 2 weeks, which is not saying much. Its tough around the holiday's as the number of deals on champagne bombarding my email never seems to stop.
In terms of Vouette et Sorbee, I have only had the Fidele (but would love to try the BdB as well). The Fidele is an interesting wine and the last bottle I had was certainly good. For me it was a bit similar to the Cedric Bouchard Infloresence if that helps you at all. However, it was a bit more funky and wild than the Infloresence with slightly deeper red fruit flavors and strong minerality. One thing to watch out for with Fidele is that all the components are not always in balance the same way that they are in the Bouchard. There is also lots of variability from bottle to bottle for some reason. So there is a little bit of risk. But overall, it is certainly worth a try if you can get it for right around $50 a bottle. I would not buy more than one bottle at first just to make sure that the style is something you really like.