Jacques Selosse is a

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

producer and grower based in the

Avize Avize () is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. Champagne The village's vineyards are located in the Côte des Blancs subregion of Champagne, and are classified as Grand Cru (100%) in the Champagne vineyard classificati ...

region of

. The house has been rated as one of Champagne’s top five producers by

Andrew Jefford Andrew Jefford (born 1956) is an English journalist, poet, and writer, the author of various books and columns on wine, whisky, travel and perfume. Education The son of a Church of England Clergy#Anglican clergy, clergyman and the eldest of thr ...

in ''The New France''.

History

The estate was founded by Jacques Selosse and his family in the 1950s, with the first vintage being bottled in 1960. The current proprietor of this estate is

Anselme Selosse Anselme Selosse is a Champagne producer and grower based in the Avize region of Champagne, France. He is the son of Jacques Selosse and is part of the fourth generation of his family to grow wine. Production Anselme produces Jacques Selosse ...

who took over from his father Jacques in 1980. Anselme studied at the Lycée viticole de Beaune and was one of the first winemakers to apply the

winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

techniques of white

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

to Champagne. In 1994 Anselme was named best French Winemaker by

Gault Millau Gault et Millau () is a French restaurant guide. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Points system Gault Millau rates restaurants on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given ...

Production

Jacques Selosse is a

grower Champagne Grower Champagnes or Artisan Champagnes are Champagnes produced by the estate that owns the vineyards where the grapes are grown. ''Récoltant-Manipulant'' is the term in French language, French, and Grower Champagnes can be identified by "RM" on t ...

, which means the grapes used to produce the wines are grown in vineyards owned by the winery rather than being purchased from other growers, as is the case in most Champagne production. The entire production is grown according to

biodynamic Biodynamics may refer to: * Biodynamic agriculture, a method of farming based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner ** The Biodynamic Association, a United States–based company that promotes the Biodynamic agriculture system ** Biodynamic wine B ...

principles and Anselme is considered a pioneer of biodynamics in Champagne. Selosse wines are

fermented Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...

using

oak barrels Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a vess ...

, in contrast to the majority of Champagne producers who use stainless steel tanks. Two of the wines in Selosse's range, the Substance and the Contraste, are produced using a

solera Solera is a process for aging liquids such as wine, beer, vinegar, and brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many yea ...

system, the same process used in

Sherry Sherry ( ) is a fortified wine produced from white grapes grown around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versio ...

production.New York Times - Bringing Champagne down to earth
/ref> Selosse holds of vines, predominantly

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

with the remainder

Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

. Around 55,000 bottles are produced each vintage, dependent on conditions.

Partnerships

Anselme has partnered with winemaker Riccardo Cotarella on the sparkling wine production at Feudi di San Gregorio in the Southern Italian region of

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

. Rather than the traditional grapes used in Champagne, these wines are made with native Italian grapes such as

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wi ...

Falanghina Falanghina, also called Falanghina Greco, is a variety of wine grape, ''Vitis vinifera,'' used for white wines. It is an ancient grape variety which may have provided a basis for the classical Falernian wine, and has considerable character.win ...

and

Aglianico Aglianico ( , ) is a black grape grown in the southern regions of Italy, mostly Basilicata and Campania. It is considered with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo to be one of the three greatest Italian varieties. Aglianico is sometimes called "The Barolo o ...

.The New York Times - Modern Love for Ancient Vines in Southern Italy
/ref>

History

Production

Partnerships

See also