Soliste Chardonnay 2019, Champagne 1er Cru Tartières Porgeon J-M Sélèque | Champagne

JM Sélèque 's Champagne Soliste Chardonnay Pierry 1er Cru Les Tartières et Les Porgeons epitomizes Jean Marc Sélèque's peak drinking of plot-based expression. In the Soliste range, which celebrates plot-based cuvées of single-varietal vintages, this Blanc de Blancs is a declaration of terroir that magnifies Chardonnay from the Coteaux Sud d'Épernay. This Premier Cru Champagne comes from two neighboring parcels located mid-slope, ideally facing south-east, in the commune of Pierry: Les Tartières and Les Porgeons. The Chardonnay vines, planted in the 1980s, plunge their roots deep into Sparnacian silty clay and Campanian chalk. These unique soils give the wine a unique complexity, combining the flesh and volume of the clay with the tension and freshness of the chalky subsoil. Jean Marc Sélèque works these two terroirs as a single entity, blending the grapes as soon as they are harvested, before pressing. Winemaking is carried out using indigenous yeasts, before ageing for 10 months in large oak barrels, without fining or filtration to preserve the expression of the terroir. The wine continues to mature for 4 years under cork, before being disgorged in Extra Brut proportions to highlight the purity of the Blanc de Blancs and the unique identity of this Premier Cru Champagne.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : On this cuvée de Soliste Chardonnay 1er Cru 2019, Jean Marc Sélèque likes to play the balancing act between volume and minerality, complexity and purity. The Extra Brut dosage of this Champagne gives it a precise structure that expresses all the authenticity of the plot-based approach so dear to the winemaker. Another great Champagne from JM Sélèque, made for a decade of cellaring!

The nose is complex and engaging, revealing a fruity, mineral and pastry profile. It opens with notes of fleshy white fruit, pear juice, lime blossom and lemon blossom. Prolonged ageing on the lees brings aromatic complexity, with scents of brioche and toast, which combine harmoniously with the underlying minerality of damp chalk. The whole exudes both depth and tension.

On the palate, Champagne Soliste Chardonnay Pierry 1er Cru Les Tartières et Les Porgeons unfurls a fleshy, expressive body, animated by a saline tension that structures the whole without hardening it. The delicate bubbles lift the fresh fruit and toast flavors with their sapidity, while a chalky frame emerges and stretches the wine out with great length. The straightforward finish provides a gastronomic salivation that leaves the taste buds vibrating with elegance.