Description: Champagne 1er Cru Soliste Chardonnay - Les Tartières and Les Porgeons 2020 | JM Sélèque
The Soliste Chardonnay Les Tartières and Les Porgeons 2020 is one of JM Sélèque’s most distinctive cuvées. It is part of the Soliste range, dedicated to single-vineyard, single-varietal vintage wines: an approach that is all the more rare in Champagne, where blending remains the norm. Only 2,220 bottles were produced for this 2020 vintage.
Terroirs and Grape Varieties
The two plots, Les Tartières and Les Porgeons, are located midway up the hillside in the commune of Pierry, on a hillside south of Épernay. Their soils combine the silty clays of the Sparnacian with Campanian chalk in the subsoil. The clay lends body and volume to the Chardonnay, while the chalk provides a structure full of tension and freshness. This duality is at the heart of the wine. The deep roots of the thirty-year-old vines allow them to reach the chalk, something younger vines would be unable to do.
Viticulture and Winemaking
Jean-Marc Sélèque cultivates his vineyards according to biodynamic principles, though he does not currently hold official certification. The grapes are harvested by hand. A distinctive feature of this cuvée is that the two plots are blended immediately after harvest, before pressing, to form a single, unified wine. Fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts, after which the wine rests in oak barrels for 10 months. It is then aged for 48 months on slats, sealed with a cork made from cork bark. Disgorgement is performed without fining or filtration. The extra-brut dosage of 3 g/L provides a well-balanced structure that allows the full authenticity of the vineyard-specific approach—so dear to the winemaker—to shine through.
Champagne 1er Cru Soliste Chardonnay - Les Tartières and Les Porgeons 2020 | JM Sélèque: the sommelier’s review
Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin
Here, Jean-Marc Sélèque strikes a delicate balance between body and minerality, complexity and purity. The dosage of 3 g/L allows the authentic character of the Pierry terroir to fully express itself. Four years on the lees have built a depth not found in blended cuvées. This Blanc de Blancs is a 1er Cru Champagne in every sense of the word: precise, sincere, and unpretentious. With a peak drinking window between 2030 and 2036, it is a true age-worthy Champagne. Serve at 11°C, without decanting, in fine wine glasses.
The Nose
The nose is complex and inviting, revealing a profile that is at once fruity, mineral, and pastry-like. It opens with notes of fleshy white fruits, pear juice, linden blossom, and lemon blossom. Extended aging on the lees imparts aromatic complexity with hints of brioche and toast, which harmoniously blend with the underlying minerality of damp chalk. The overall impression exudes both depth and tension.
On the palate
On the palate, the wine displays a full-bodied and expressive texture, enlivened by a saline tension that structures the whole without making it harsh. The delicate bubbles enhance the flavors of fresh fruit and toast with their savory character, while a chalky backbone emerges and extends the wine with a beautiful finish. The clean, precise finish stimulates the salivary glands in a truly gastronomic way, leaving the taste buds tingling for a long time with its elegance.
Champagne 1er Cru: Everything You Need to Know About This Appellation
The 1er Cru classification distinguishes the villages of Champagne recognized for the quality of their terroirs. These communes are situated between the unclassified villages and the seventeen rare Grands Crus. Pierry, on the southern slopes of Épernay, ranks among the most highly regarded terroirs for Chardonnay. Its soils, a blend of clay and chalk, foster a natural balance between ripeness and freshness.
With *Le Soliste Les Tartières* and *Les Porgeons*, JM Sélèque has chosen to highlight two specific parcels rather than the consistency of a broader blend. This plot-by-plot approach, dear to the winemaker, remains relatively uncommon in Champagne. It allows the distinctive characteristics of a specific site to shine through with a clarity that blending often dilutes. It is precisely this that gives this cuvée its unique and gastronomic identity.
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