JM Sélèque Solessence Nature (2015) NV

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About JM Sélèque

Jean-Marc Sélèque’s grandfather Henri planted his first vines in Pierry in 1965, a tradition taken up when father Richard began bottling his grower Champagne in the ‘70s. Jean-Marc himself took over duties in 2008 and began transforming this into the very model of a top-flight grower it is today. The estate has been renamed and the range redefined, while the completion of the new cellar in 2015 is a further statement of intent. Pierry itself is a premier cru village just outside Épernay, known (and increasingly so, with Jean-Marc as flag-bearer) as prime terroir for distinguished Meunier. A further six villages within a tiny radius account for the rest of the fruit. These are: Moussy and Épernay (situated, like Pierry, on the Coteaux Sud d’Épernay); Dizy, Mardeuil and Boursault in the Vallée de la Marne; and Vertus in the Côte des Blancs.

Jean-Marc is a worldly wine lover who marries respect for terroir with contemporary open-mindedness. He spent time making fizz in Australia and the U.S. for Chandon at the start of his Pierry quest. Every step chez Jean-Marc and Oriane has been chosen at the expense of myriad alternatives rejected because they’ve been shown to yield something less than the best wine possible.

The result here is Champagnes that are precise in their expression of fruit and soil, where autolysis quietly embellishes without dominating, and where – once you’ve shaken off the distraction of sheer pleasure and try to pick apart the elements – you find seamless harmony and elegant structure. These delicious and utterly confident wines are borne of intricately thought out practices, strictly adhered to. The wines – a million miles from any notion of stretched or contrived Champagne – are as natural, effortless and full of personality as you could wish them to be.

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.

William Kelley

In the Vineyard

Solessence is our philosophy: Ploughing of soils, strict pruning and control of yields. Favouring the natural balance and biodiversity. Single vineyard winemaking. Respect for the Life and the Wine by sustainable practices.

Terroirs: 7 villages across the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs : Pierry, Moussy, Epernay, Mardeuil, Dizy, Boursault and Vertus.

In the Winery

Individual vinification of each plot. 90 % of the wines with alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel and malo-lactic fermentation. 10 % of the wines with alcoholic fermentation in oak barrels without malo-lactic fermentation. Reserve wines stored in large tanks and woods casks as a perpetual reserve since 2000. Minimum intervention to the wine. Natural cold stabilization, no fining and light filtration. Bottling in Spring. Ageing on the lees for at least 48 months or more.

Where in Champagne are Sélèque’s Vineyards

Based in Pierry, the estate has five full-time workers in the vineyard, farming nine hectares of vines across 45 plots, with an average vine age of 40 years. The plots are spread across 7 villages in the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs : Pierry, Moussy, Epernay, Mardeuil, Dizy, Boursault and Vertus.

The map below shows the main sub-regions of Champagne

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From left to right Champagne vineyards by Soil Type, Aspect and Dominant Varietal

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Soil Types

Vineyard Aspect

Map showing dominant varieties planted in Champagne