2002 Jacques Selosse Extra Brut Millésimé Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

From the same two parcels as his 2003 tasted alongside, Selosse’s 2002 Extra Brut Blanc de Blanc is, as he announces while pouring it, “another thing entirely.” Pristine, Normandy cider-like pear fruit strikes me as something of a common denominator – even trans-regionally – for this exceptional northern French vintage, and the chew of skin and piquancy of pit serve to stimulate the palate along with saliva-inducing salinity. Almond in frangipane guise along with pistachio extract and rowan, iris and gentian reinforce an alluring illusion of sweetness as well as of complexly wafting perfume; and a faint, noble suggestion of mushroom lends unanticipated savor. Predictably for its vintage, this buoyant, transparent, polished bottling finishes with more nuances than one can find mineral descriptors for, but chalk, smoke and salt – while pretty obvious – allude at least imperfectly to a spellbindingly sustained sense of interactive and intriguing if illusive nuances all set within an infectiously juicy and mouthwateringly savory context. Plan to follow this beauty – lucky few who can both find it and afford it – for another 6-8 years. Anselme Selosse has managed to become a legend at a by no means advanced age; and more importantly an inspiration and mentor to stylistically innovative and environmentally-conscious wine growers over several decades, across France and beyond. It’s easy to forget how revolutionary were this grower’s terroir-centric approach, viticultural rigor, and laissez-faire attitude toward vinification when he emerged on the Champagne scene after completing formal studies and returning to his family’s estate in the mid-1970s. Nor are Selosse’s wines about to stop being controversial, because not every taster will accept the complexity of long cask maturation including oxidative- and flor-influence in their Champagne; and as thought-provoking as these wines are, the Selosse approach guarantees that some of his vinous offspring will walk more on the wild side or present an aesthetically less satisfying whole than will others. “I haven’t got a check-list,” he remarks, “and neither has nature.” Selosse is the iconic representative of an approach no longer considered unusual thanks to his example, and characterized by respecting one’s viticultural principles, including such as arise from concern for sustainability and integrity, striving to permit each vineyard and parcel of vines to most fully express itself; but – certain inspired flights of fancy no doubt excepted – imposing only minimal if any stylistic restraints on one’s wine, whether those based on perceptions of market demand or even personal aesthetic vision. In keeping with this approach – not to mention with the degree to which demand exceeds supply (horribly exacerbated earlier this year by a massive theft of stock from his cellar) – most of my time with Selosse this summer was spent tasting his fascinating, at times mesmerizing young 2012s and 2011s out of a melange of barriques of various age (from classic Burgundy tonneliers, but including since 2005 some Acacia) and discussing how they reflect the character of the 47 parcels in which they originate; and I tasted a (numerically!) relatively modest subset of finished wines currently or soon to be in the marketplace. Importer: The Rare Wine Company, Sonoma, CA; tel. (800) 999-4342