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ProducerJacques Selosse
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Vintage2006
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Grape VarietyChardonnay
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RegionChampagne
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SizeBottle
Anselme Selosse’s ancestors have been growing grapes in Avize for centuries, but it was not until 1959 that his father, Jacques, became the first in the family to produce and sell his own Champagne. That first vintage yielded just 2,500 bottles because Jacques Selosse hedged his bets by continuing to sell virtually all of his grapes. After obtaining a BTS degree in viticulture and enology at Beaune, Anselme Selosse took over from his father, who was by then producing 12,000 bottles per year but was still selling the majority of the crop as grapes to Lanson.
Anselme continued to make Champagne like his father, but confesses, “I did not consume my wines. Then in 1976, my third year of winemaking, I was confronted with a great drought. I said to myself that the grapes were so ripe, I must produce less foam — just a half-mousse. So I put in less sugar, and by doing this I realized I had changed my approach. I discovered freedom.” Since that epiphany, Anselme Selosse has been revered as a Champagne visionary by some and deemed as mad as a hatter by others. He is definitely eccentric, undeniably charismatic and overtly opinionated.
98 Points Antonio Galloni
Powerful and explosive in the glass, the 2006 Extra-Brut Millesime Grand Cru brings together the natural ripeness of the year with tons of supporting structure. Readers will have to be patient with the 2006, as it is likely to require a number of years to fully come together. Today, it is dense, tightly wound and quite reticent. Even so, the wine’s potential is evident. The 2006 is also the last vintage overseen directly by Anselme Selosse, who has made this wine as a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay from Les Chantereines and Malandries du Midi since 1975. Going forward, the vintage wine has been entrusted to Guillaume Selosse, who has decided to craft a blend that incorporates both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.