(2016) Extra-Brut V.O. (Version Originale)

Tasting at Selosse is one of the great experiences in Champagne. The finished Champagnes are essays in style and terroir while tasting the vins clairs provides an opportunity to drill down further into single wines from distinct sites. The essence of the Selosse house style can be described as a preference for picking ripe in what are mostly cool, windy sites. That duality of ripeness and freshness allows the wines to be textured yet vibrant. It only took me about twenty years to figure that out. The lieu-dit releases this year are based on the 2017 vintage, a very tricky year that required considerable sorting. In my view, the Chardonnay-based wines fared better than the Pinot-based bottlings. Production is down sharply for the six lieux-dits.