Selosse – Lieux-Dits Dinner at NoMad

BY ANTONIO GALLONI I JULY 11, 2017

Anselme Selosse’s wines are among the most coveted bottles in Champagne. In recent years, Selosse’s lieu-dit Champagnes have ascended into the realm of the nearly unobtainable because of their tiny production. Two of the lieux-dits are sold only as part of the 300 or so boxed sets that are released each year, which makes tasting all six Champagnes together virtually impossible. This unforgettable dinner featured the entire collection of lieux-dits, along with a number of Selosse classics.

NoMad’s Rooftop is one of my favorite spaces in New York City. The small inside room is ideal for intimate dinners such as this one where everyone is seated at a single rectangular table. Executive Chef James Kent and his team prepared a brilliant seasonal meal to match the wines, while Head Sommelier Thomas Pastuszak made sure every detail of wine service was tended to perfectly. As is usually the case at Vinous events, many attendees travelled from afar to join us, which only added to the buzz in the room. 

Although the lieux-dits were the centerpiece of the evening, all of the wines showed beautifully. The lieux-dits were from the collection based on the 2006 vintage, a year that produced powerful, explosive Champagnes. Given the short track records for most of these wines, I was not entirely sure what to expect now that the wines had been disgorged for a few years. I was thrilled to see that a little time in bottle has only helped the wines come together even more fully than when they were released. If anything, I was impressed by how young the wines showed.

The Selosse Lieux-Dits

Because interest in grower Champagne is so strong today, it is sometimes easy to forget that Anselme Selosse has represented the cutting edge in the region for several decades. Selosse pioneered concepts that today are considered standard by many young producers, including sustainable farming, attention to yields, harvesting at full ripeness and minimal handling in the cellar. Along the way, Selosse has inspired and/or mentored many of today’s leading younger producers. More recently, Selosse has begun to pass the torch onto his son, Guillaume, who seems very much prepared to take the family domaine into the next generation.

Selosse’s lieu-dit, or single-parcel, Champagnes are an expression of a belief that site is the single most important variable in wine quality. In the mid-1990s, Anselme Selosse began putting this theory to test with Contraste, a 100% Blanc de Noirs from La Côte Faron in Aÿ done with a perpetual reserve method in which the base vintage is blended with a reserve that includes all previous vintages. In the mid 2000s, Selosse expanded that concept to six lieu-dit Champagnes that are available together only in a limited-edition release of about 300 boxed sets.

The lieux-dits collection is composed of three Chardonnays (Cramant Chemin de Chalons, Les Mesnil Sur Oger Les Carelles and Avize Les Chantereines) and three Pinot Noirs (Mareuil sur Aÿ Sous Le Mont, Aÿ La Côte Faron and Ambonnay La Bout du Clos, which is in reality a 80% Pinot/20% Chardonnay blend). A few of the lieux-dits, those with the larger productions, are sometimes seen singly in the market, but the Cramant and Avize are available only in the box set. Selosse’s parcel in Chantereines measures just 80 ares (8/10ths of a hectare). The best barrel is bottled for the lieu-dit collection. Similarly, Chemin de Chalon measures just 35 ares (3.5/10ths of a hectare) of which a single barrel is used for the lieu-dit wine.