NV Jacques Selosse Ratafia

You might imagine that in reviewing a non-vintage wine from Selosse devoid of disgorgement date or lot number I am violating a convention I established for this report; but first of all, disgorgement is beside the point, since Selosse’s NV Il Etait Une Fois is not (or at least, not now!) a sparkling wine; and secondly, as its name suggests (and I’ll take its author on his word) this is strictly a one-off. But what a one! It started life as a barrel of fortified but only 15% alcohol Chardonnay from vintages 1995-1999. The twang of flor, piquancy of toasted nuts, and sweet seduction of ethereal creme caramel marry unforgettably in the nose, and as they inform a silken textured and remarkably vibrant, juicy palate, they pick up chalkiness and saliva-inducing salinity worthy of exactly the place where they were grown, and of this fruit’s more usual, sparkling destination. Imagine rich yet simultaneously light pastry rendered with salted, subtly browned butter and filled with nut pastes, quince and peach preserves, and caramel. This finishes with supreme richness and length yet a simultaneous compulsion to take the next sip, not to mention a diversity of high-toned allusions that could make you drunk without taking a sip. It’s not merely that this master vigneron is capable of so many things the likes of which scarcely anybody could have imagined, but that they turn out being so unimaginably delicious! 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