Jacques Selosse Initial is a grand cru Blanc de Blancs from Avize, built from three harvests of Chardonnay and fermented in oak. This bottle carries a 2020 reference, and like every Initial it shows the domaine's rich, wine-like style.
About This Champagne
Initial is made from Chardonnay grown on the lower, gentler slopes of Avize and Cramant, with a small amount from Oger. Each release blends three successive vintages, fermented in 228-litre Burgundy casks with native yeasts and stirred on the lees through the year. It spends more than three years on lees before disgorgement, and the dosage is kept very low. The domaine disgorges it several times a year, so bottles from different lots can taste slightly different.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Yellow apple, quince, lemon zest and toasted brioche, with an oxidative, nutty hint and chalk underneath.
- Palate: Broad and layered, with ripe fruit, pastry notes and good mineral grip. Low dosage keeps it dry and taut.
- Finish: Long, dry and savoury, with a chalky, saline note at the end.
Serving & Food
Cool to 10 or 11°C and serve in a tulip or Burgundy glass. It will open further over an hour or two, so there is no need to rush. Good with lobster noodles, grilled pork collar or a creamy Brillat-Savarin.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers new to grower Champagne who want to see what the Selosse style is about, or a bottle for fish and cheese courses.
Product Details
Producer: Jacques Selosse
Cuvée: Initial
Release year: 2020
Style: Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne
Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Villages: Avize, Cramant, Oger
Bottle size: 750mL
Region: Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
Country: France
About the Maison
The Selosse family has a clear pattern of passing the estate on. Jacques founded the domaine in Avize after the war, and his son Anselme took charge in 1974 after training in Burgundy. Anselme's son Guillaume joined him in the cellar in 2009 and formally took over in 2018.
Guillaume had already made his own wines since the 2009 harvest, so he arrived with a style and ideas of his own. Visitors describe a gradual handover, with father and son still discussing each harvest. The domaine's size and methods have stayed the same: about eight hectares, barrel fermentation and long ageing.