Jacques Selosse Champagne: Wine Styles, 10 Best Wines To Buy In 2024

Established in 1954 by Jacques Selosse, Domaine Jacques Selosse is a small-scale, family-run Champagne house in Avize, Côte de Blancs. 

It is one of the few Champagne producers whose wines have a strong Burgundy influence - thanks to oak barrel aging.

This article will look at the wine styles and the best Jacques Selosse wines to buy in 2024. We’ll also explore the history, winemaking, and viticulture practices of this Champagne grower.

Jacques Selosse Wine Styles

Here’s a quick introduction to the range of Jacques Selosse wines:

• Initial: This classic Avize Brut is an assemblage of three vintages aged for around five years in the bottle. The fruit is sourced from the slopes of Avize, Ogier, and Le Mesnil. 
• Version Originale: The Version Originale is also an assemblage of three vintage wines sourced from Avize, Cramant, and Oger. It’s typically aged for around 42 months and is bottled with little to no dosage.
• Millésime: This is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from all of the estate’s plots. 
• Substance: Famous for bringing out the true expression of Avize’s terroir, this wine is produced using the solera system, which is commonly used in Sherry production. It consists of two levels of reserve wine - one aged in cask and the other in the tank.
• Rose: It is a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Champagne that displays a hint of salmon color and is stunningly vibrant and aromatic. 

Jacques Selosse also produces six single vineyard bottlings from unique terroirs, including:

• Les Carelles (Mesnil-sur-Oger)
• Chemin de Châlons (Cramant)
• Les Chantereines (Avize)
• La Côte Faron (Aÿ)
• Sous le Mont (Mareuil sur Aÿ)
• Le Bout du Clos (Ambonnay)

The Best Jacques Selosse Wines To Buy In 2024

Here are the most sought-after Jacques Selosse wines that’ll make a great addition to your cellar: 

• 1988 Jacques Selosse Millésime
• Jacques Selosse Initial Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut
• Jacques Selosse Substance Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut
• Jacques Selosse Brut Rose
• Jacques Selosse V.O. 'Version Originale' Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut
• Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits 'Les Carelles' Le Mesnil Sur Oger Grand Cru Extra Brut
• Jacques Selosse Exquise Sec
• Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits Collection Extra Brut
• Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits 'Sous le Mont' Mareuil Sur Ay Grand Cru Extra Brut
• Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits 'La Cote Faron' Blanc de Noirs Ay Grand Cru Extra Brut

1. 1988 Jacques Selosse Millésime, Champagne, France ($3,052)

This extraordinary vintage Champagnebottle carries an incredible nose of buttered rye bread, nutmeg, and a hint of satsuma. It has a delicious note of sour zest and a lovely long finish.

2. Jacques Selosse Initial Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne, France ($387)

Among the best of Selosse’s wines, this Champagne grand cru has a rich and intense palate with exotic honey notes. 

3. Jacques Selosse Substance Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne, France ($627)

It is a Chardonnay brimming with outstandingly bright flavors. This white wine is pure and loaded with the fresh aromas of dried apricots, wildflowers, and anise blossom. 

4. Jacques Selosse Brut Rose, Champagne, France ($608)

This brut rose carries dry, complex flavors of ripe citrus fruit, mocha, baked apple, and a hint of roasted oats and honey. 

5. Jacques Selosse V.O. 'Version Originale' Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France ($456)

This relatively understated but impeccably well-balanced Champagne is made entirely from Chardonnay. It bears brilliant floral and citrus notes that are sure to delight Champagne lovers.

6. Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits 'Les Carelles' Le Mesnil Sur Oger Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France ($509)

Dense with tropical fruits such as pineapple, mandarines, yuzu, and roasted pine nuts, this Champagne bears a typical Selosse nose and is unbelievably pure with a great acidity structure. 

7. Jacques Selosse Exquise Sec, Champagne, France ($423)

With subtle notes of cherry on the nose, this beautiful tasting, aromatic Champagne is complex and well-structured with a stunning finish. 

8. Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits Collection Extra Brut, Champagne, France ($1,002)

It is a flavorful and refreshing wine that bears many mineral-infused notes, including citrus peels and wildflowers.

9. Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits 'Sous le Mont' Mareuil Sur Ay Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France ($457)

This is a full-bodied French wine with a charming gourmand profile and bears notes of orchard fruit, honeycomb, dried flowers, smoke, and peat. 

10. Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits 'La Cote Faron' Blanc de Noirs Ay Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France ($542)

It is a true, subtle Selosse Champagne that packs the purity of the fruit with overtones of rose petal, lavender, and dried herbs. 

Let’s also take a look at the winery’s past and how these wines are made.

Jacques Selosse: A Brief History

Jacques Selosse established the winery in the early 1950s and performed the first vinification around 1964. 

Ten years later, Anselme, his son, was handed the keys of the estate.

Inspired by Masanobu Fukuoa and permaculture, Anselme Selosse became obsessed with observing, trying and improving, and contemplating his viticultural methods and practices.  

Today, the Grand Cru vineyards extend to over 8.3 hectares spread out in 54 parcels situated on highly-rated plots of Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Ay, Mareuil-Sur-Aÿ and Ambonnay.

In 2018, Anselme handed over the Domaine to his son, Guillaume Selosse, who has proved to be an exceptionally skilled winemaker in his own right.

Jacques Selosse: Winemaking And Viticulture

The revolutionary winemaking and viticulture techniques adopted by Anselme Selosse have given Champagne production a new dimension.

Let’s take a closer look at these innovative and dynamic winemaking techniques:

• Viticulture: Inspired by the solera system, Anselme adopted low-yield, fastidious viticulture and biodynamic principles. After spending years perfecting the relationship between the soil and the vine, he’s now able to harvest the most physiologically ripe and expressive grape that a winemaker could ask for.  
• Fermentation: As a firm believer in the pure flavor of hisnatural wines, Anselme chooses to avoid malolactic fermentation. Instead, he chooses to use a strain of selected yeasts culled from his own vineyards for fermentation. 
• Aging: Anselme uses Burgundy oak barrels and leaves the wine to ferment on their fine lees for 8-12 months before bottling - unlike most other Champagne makers who use steel tanks. 

Ready to buy a Selosse?

Sensational Selosse Magic for Your Cellar!

Champagne Jacques Selosse has emerged as one of the legendary wines that stands shoulder to shoulder with mega houses and luxury brands like Dom Perignon.

Like a great white Burgundy, a well-aged Jacques Selosse Champagne is the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion. 

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