Champagne Extra Brut Grand Cru 'La Cote Faron' Jacques Selosse (deg. 2021)

La Cote Faron is a multifaceted and exhilarating Champagne, lieux dits of the outlier Anselme Selosse. Some great Champagne drinkers claim that there is a before and after Selosse to make the point that Anselme's original and extreme winemaking style redesigned the perspective of the world's most famous bubbly. Pushing maturation of grapes, targeted oxidation research, use of the Soleras method for blending base wines: practices that until recently seemed crazy and are now followed by a large current of producers. It is difficult to describe in words such rich and multifaceted bottles as real experiences that change the way of looking at wine. Absolutely must try them at least once!

Champagne Cote Faron is one of Selosse's Lieux Dits, that is, liquids obtained from a single parcel, which in this case involves the use of pure Pinot Noir grapes grown in Ay, a commune extremely suited for the production of the latter. About 1,600 bottles are produced each year for nectar, in which rarity coincides with the quality aspect. The vineyards are all run under biodynamic regimes to obtain qualitatively perfect fruit. Spontaneous fermentation in barrique with minimal sulfur added, and second re-fermentation in the bottle. Ageing of 6 years on the lees with minimum dosage, between 0 and 2 g/l, depending on the vintage.

Selosse's Cote Faron bewitches in the glass with its charged yellow robe and fine, persistent bubbles. Heady and lysergic from the very first olfaction, it offers in succession quince, chestnut honey, small pastries, almonds and toasted walnuts. A triumph of complexity, it overwhelms without ever stopping. The taste is no less: rich and full-bodied, flavorful and textural, and it possesses the meatiness of ripe grapes that is backed by just the right amount of savoriness and freshness, fading on an endless persistence of nuts and dried fruits due to the calibrated oxidation. A transcendental experience, but not for everyone, given its complexity. Rebellious outlier.