Descripción

Este Grand Cru Blanc de blancs es una maravilla. Es el champagne más representativo de Jacques Selosse, y se elabora a partir de cepas de Chardonnay de unos 50 años que proceden de los terruños de Avize, Cramant y Oger. Se trata de una mezcla de tres añadas consecutivas.

Ficha técnica

La bodega
Tipo
Champagne
Grado
12.5% vol.
Producción
33.000 botellas
Variedad
100% Chardonnay
Origen
Champagne

Cata

Nariz
Intenso aroma de flores blancas y frutas tropicales con presencia de notas calcáreas.
Boca
Paso redondo y elegante con toques de vainilla y limón confitado potenciados por un toque de oxidación. Final fresco y persistente dominado por recuerdos de tiza.
Temperatura de servicio
Entre 6 y 8 ºC.
Maridaje
Foie gras asado con trufa o con polenta con aceitunas negras.

Viñedo y elaboración

Descripción
Viñedos plantados en los terruños de Avize, Cramant y Oger.
Superficie
18 hectáreas
Edad
50 años.
Suelo
Pobres calcáreos con presencia de arcilla roja.
Clima
Continental.
Vinificación
Fermentación en barricas de roble borgoñón con bâtonnage.
Envejecimiento
Crianza de 3 años en barricas borgoñonas. Cuenta con un dosaje de 2,5g/l.
Embotellado
Sin clarificar ni filtrar.

Opinión de los críticos

Jeb Dunnuck:

The NV Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs Initial is a blend of the 2016, 2015, and 2014 harvests from the lower portion of the slopes of Avize, Oger, and Cramant. The soils in that area are more clay and more fertile, resulting in more abundant yields that lend the wine a more open-knit profile. Pouring a golden straw hue, this wine is expressive, with brothy aromas of apricot, Meyer lemon, and baked bread. Supple and inviting, the palate displays a rounded mouthfeel with more modest acidity. It has a very fine mousse and shows off its rich, chalky texture, savory salinity, and broad, almond-noted finish. Generous and ripe, it’s beautiful for drinking now and will be great over the next 10 or more years. 2 grams per liter dosage.

James Suckling:

Very pronounced and wonderfully complex nose of persimmon, egg yolk, cinnamon, tarte tatin, caramel, mango pastry, apricot tart and spice box. The full-bodied palate feathers a fine line between sheer power, luscious dried fruit and laser-guided acidity. Very long and intense on the finish. Drink now or hold. Disgorged 13 November 2018.

The Wine Advocate:

Disgorged in May 2021, the latest rendition of Selosse's NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Initial is showing beautifully, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, dried fruits, confit lemon, fenugreek, fresh bread and toasted almonds. Full-bodied, vinous and complex, it's a rich, fleshy Champagne that's underpinned by bright acids and complemented by a pinpoint mousse, concluding with a long, sapid finish. As usual, this bottling derives from the lower-altitude slopes of Avize, Cramant and Oger, where the soils are richer in clay and yields are higher when compared with the vineyards that inform V. O. - William Kelley. 

Falstaff:

Medium yellow, silver shimmers, very fine, persistent mousse. Scented white stone fruit notes underlaid with fresh orange and tangerine zest, some blossom honey and mineral undertones as well as a nut tones. Very complex, mouth-coating, pleasantly expressive, fine yellow fruit nuances, a delicate touch of nougat in the finish, very long lasting, perfect balance, a great food companion.