NV Jacques Selosse "Substance" Blanc de Blancs Champagne

“One of the pinnacles of the tasting with Selosse, unsurprisingly, is the NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Substance, a wine with the most complex making, going through four stages of maturation: from barrels to the bottle. As always, it derives from a solera created in 1986. Originally, the wine was sourced from two parcels in Avize, but today the base wine (which eventually contributes only about 4.8% to the final blend in the bottle) is produced from a selection of plots in the village. Guillaume opted to include parcels that best fit the desired balance—sometimes these will be south-facing, other times east or even north-facing sites. Muscular and multidimensional, it jumps from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of orange zest, spices, beeswax, toasted hazelnuts and dried fig. On the palate, it is full-bodied, vinous and textural yet searingly chalky—even more mineral than Les Chantereines. Guillaume Selosse remarks that oxidation during maturation (and through multiple transfers between different vessels) frees the wine from fruit in a classic sense, leaving mostly chalky extract and enhancing its mineral aspect. Every time I taste at this great domaine, I vacillate between Substance and the lieux-dits as to which wine best defines this benchmark producer. (KK)” (12/2024)

“The NV Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs Substance is the only wine in the range from Selosse that is produced in a true solera system, with criadera, and this release has the addition of the 2016 vintage going into the cuvée. The nose offers fantastic layered depth framed by a minty freshness lifting from the glass, along with notes of fresh apricot, marzipan, citrus oils, and wet stones. The palate is textural with a core of rich sapidity and buoyant acidity that creates a weightless and impeccably balanced feel throughout. The mousse is fine, but the wine’s savory texture takes the lead. It’s going to drink well now or over the coming 20 years. (AF)” (12/2024)

“The NV (2016) Extra-Brut Substance is a wild, exotic Champagne. Tangerine peel, white flowers, candied citrus and spice fill out the layers. Hints of crystallized ginger and chamomile appear later. Ample and full-bodied, with tremendous energy, Substance is fabulous in this release. Bottled with no dosage. Disgorged: July 18, 2025. (AG)” (04/2026)

“Distinctive and savory at first, with hints of wood smoke, roasted almond, oyster shell and grilled herbs, this opens on the palate to reveal flavors of glazed apple, crystallized honey, singed orange peel, lime blossoms and ground coffee. Shows a streak of salinity that works in conjunction with fine-cut acidity to keep this focused through the long, mouthwatering finish. Fascinating. (AN)” (06/2024)

“The new release of Cuvée Substance from Guillaume Selosse is simply stunning. As readers may recall, the Cuvée Substance is the Selosse family’s solera bottling, with three thousand bottles produced each year, and then the new vins clairs added back to the solera for the next year. I should mention that the “new” vins clairs added into the perpetual solera have already been aged for one year in foudre prior to their addition to the blended tank. The wine is a pure Avize chardonnay, with the wine having spent six years aging sur lattes prior to disgorgement. It offers up a superb, beautifully mature bouquet of baked apples and pears, macadamia nut, warm bread, chalky minerality, dried flowers, just a whisper of oak and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, elegant and full-bodied, with superb complexity, a lovely core, fine soil undertow and grip, refined mousse and a long, poised and seamlessly balanced finish. I love the aged character of this wine’s aromatic and flavor spectrums, while still retaining a lovely spine of acidity, vibrant mousse and the bones of a younger wine!” (12/2023)