Having this bottle in the cellar, Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut (deg. 2001) freaked me out, especially after tast...

Having this bottle in the cellar, Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut (deg. 2001) freaked me out, especially after tasting very young Selosse bottles this year at his restaurant, I thought: if the youngest Selosses already show this much body and ripeness, what on earth has happened to the one I’ve been keeping? It’s probably dead. Dead for a while… From the very first second, the nose reminded me of Selosse’s Substance, which is a true solera. It smells like a fine, pretty Sherry. Tiny but persistent bubbles. This cuvée comes from three Grand Cru villages and was meant to represent his youngest vines. And it still have aged impressively. The nose is full of dates, figs, dried flowers, a powdery, gourmand perfume, a touch of earthiness, lots of almonds and walnut marmalade, rye bread. The palate is powerful too, yet still has that powdery chalky texture, surprisingly tense and structured. Very dry in line with what we call “modern vigneron Champagne” today, but multi‑layered with dried fruits, so the fruity sweet nose keeps it charming. But I can definitely not call this one a charming champagne. It has a savoury core. So I paired with my first attempt at cookies with mahlep (wild cherry pit powder), something sweet and salty at the same time, just like this bottle and the champagne became more red‑fruited and fresher on the palate. This aged Selosse is provoking, extraordinary, quite an adventure. Not charming. Nor elegant. Big, bold, savoury, still sexy. It won’t get any better than this, since the fruit is quite ripe. Maybe I’m wrong tho, just like I was with my expectations about how well his bottles can age. #selosse #champagnestudy #rarewine