Jacques Selosse

In 1980, Anselme Selosse took over the winery from his father Jacques Selosse with the valuable help of his wife Corinne. The company owns about 7 hectares, most of which are of Chardonnay Grand Cru in the communes of Avize, Cramant and Oger, a vineyard of Pinot Noir Grand Cru in Aÿ and one in Ambonnay. The overall annual production is around 45,000 bottles.
Every two years, an organic compound is injected deep into their soils to enhance the terroir. Every Spring and Autumn, Anselme Selosse works the soil to make it light and porous to allow better water passage. The plants are kept low with a yield of less than 2/3 of the average yield in Champagne. The vine's immune defences are stimulated in a natural way, without any use of chemical treatments. After traditional pressing, the must is put into barrels for fermentation, which begins without the addition of selected yeasts and takes place with weekly batonnage during the winter period and monthly during the Summer. This process continues naturally without any intervention and sometimes lasts until July. Malolactic fermentation is contained, the wine's natural acidity is not neutralised as the fertilisers do not contain mineral potassium and no filtration is ever carried out.
Anselme Selosse states that his role is not to standardise taste, but to tell the story of his vineyards while respecting the vocation of the wine and the soil. This is why he does not use selected yeasts during fermentation and prefers pure grape fructose for dosage at dégorgement.
These two particularities, specific to Champagne Jacques Selosse and a few other producers, ensure a taste that enhances the characteristics of the parcel of land on which the grapes were harvested.