Champagne Solessence Nature - Pinot Meunier, Chard. & Pinot

Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier en Pinot Noir | fruit afkomstig uit 7 dorpen | deels hout gebruikt | 5 jaar sur lattes gerijpt | zero dosage | Enorme diepgang | rijke stijl door lange sur latte rijping | brioche | zilt | amandel | volle aanzet | milde mousse | krakend droog maar toch heel zacht en complex

Jean-Marc Sélèque

Na het afronden van zijn opleiding is 2008, werkt Jean-Marc in de kelder van het familiebedrijf. De oude manier van werken heeft geen positieve werking gehad op het bodemleven, dus besluit hij in 2010 geheel biologisch te werken. De percelen liggen in zeven verschillende dorpjes op het “drie landen punt”, omringd door de regio’s Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims en Vallée de la Marne. De champagnes zijn voorzien van energie, verfijning, precisie en een super elegante mousse.

Review

BLEND : 50 % Chardonnay • 40 % Meunier • 10% Pinot Noir
HARVEST : 2014 (75CL)
TERROIR : Pierry / Moussy / Epernay / Mardeuil / Dizy / Boursault / Vertus
SOILS : Mostly flinty clay on chalky subsoil
VINIFICATION : Stainless steel tank 80 % • Oak barrels 20 %. Without fining or filtration
RESERVE WINE : 50% (in tanks and oak barrels)
AGING : Crown caps - 5 years (75CL)
DOSAGE : No dosage - Brut Nature

Disgorged in November 2020, the NV Extra Brut Solessence Nature is based on the 2015 vintage, seeing three years longer sur lattes than its dosed counterpart. Wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, warm bread, white flowers and baking spices, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, with bright acids and a saline finish. It's beautifully harmonious out of the gates. 

One of Champagne's most exciting and dynamic young producers, Jean-Marc Sélèque is based in Pierry in the Coteaux Sud d’Epernay. He returned to the family domaine in 2008 and immediately stopped the use of herbicides; but he dates his realization that the raw materials for greatness are to be found in agronomy and not in the cellar to 2012. Farming is essentially organic, with some biodynamic practices, with the soils cultivated mechanically (in some instances, by horse) and canopies hedged higher than the average for additional shade and photosynthesis. Winter and intra-row cover crops mitigate erosion and preserve moisture in the soil. In the winery, much of the production is vinified in wood, without fining or filtration, and Sélèque favors native fermentations and doesn't encourage or discourage malolactic. As his viticultural progress bears dividends, these wines go from strength to strength and I find myself more and more impressed with every passing release. Pierry enjoyed considerable historical celebrity, and thanks to Sélèque, it seems more than likely to regain it. Everything here comes recommended, and I warmly encourage readers to acquaint themselves with these wines.