Jacques Selosse, Initial Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

2019 base. has the usual Selosse vinous feel with intense peach fruit at its core. There's nuttiness and some truffled honey too. It is rich ad textural and laden with chalk. It is so good with food and without for that matter and spicy notes linger. Complex and giving at this early juncture.

Fairly deep color. Not quite as dry as a sherry, but I keep getting reminded of a sherry with bubbles. Savory, lots of depth. Not a style for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

2015 disgorgement. Lots of ripe apples, good weight. As always an idiosyncratic wine that always pleases

D23. Opened 45 min. Pear, ginger, oxidative notes, minerality. A delight.

Straw yellow in the glass with discreet, fine bubbles. The nose opens with bruised apples, yeast, toast and a lightly oxidative character. On the palate, this shows apple, caramel, autolytic notes, nuts and almonds, carried by a soft, creamy, layered mousse. Medium acidity, with a chalky, mineral backbone and a long finish. Less forceful than Substance, but clearly more balanced. Remarkably, it drinks like a young Champagne that somehow already tastes mature. 94 pts.

This bottle once again affirms my affection for more recently disgorged versions of this wine. Served side by side with another Initial disgorged in 2016 (2010 base), this 2024 disgorgement (2018 base) showcases a beautifully delineated electricity that carries the deeper pear and honey notes through a near-flawless delivery. Additional flavors of quince, orange spray, green and yellow pear, yellow apple skin, and travertine make for a complete wine that is both exciting and satiating. Served next to a 2014 …

Served side by side with another Initial disgorged in 2024 (2018 base), this 2016 disgorgement (2010 base) shows more mature orange, golden raisin, and honey notes, with a slight downshift in energy behind its younger Initial sibling, but with just as much attention-grabbing attributes. As such, I find this compelling for different reasons, hankering for a hunk of blue cheese or a fistful of foie gras to perfectly pair the mature flavors flowing from this earlier disgorged Initial. Maintains a …

We're in a war??? (The house of Simmons) : blind. Also felt like it was in the Selosse style. Still very good. I think I prefer the more recent disgorgement today. This bottle disg. 2016/12/01

We're in a war??? (The house of Simmons) : blind. classic Selosse. Complex and intriguing. I hate that this bottling is pushing $500-600 now. Value wise, it is losing the battle but good is good…and this juice is good! (disg. 24/11/05).

Disgorgement date 2015. Like a bottle with a disgorgement of Dec. '10, this was fabulous and rich. Pleasantly oxidized, lingering finish. Thanks again to SDwineaux for sharing.

Disgorged on March 10, 2023, with a dosage of 2.5 g/l (this time the NFC chip read correctly) The stunning nose offers roasted nuts, dried yellow fruits, apple strudel, light tobacco, beeswax, very subtle sherry notes, and fine yeast notes. Very vinous, creamy, and full-bodied on the palate; oxidative extract; the mousse is so fine that it only unfolds like a fine foam in the mouth after a while; aromatically, there are dried apricots, walnuts, and beeswax, chalky hints, and …

Current release with the NFT. The amount of complexity that is packed into this bottle is difficult to fathom. A potpourri of orchard fruit and Christmas spices with hint of cinnamon, all with a bright, fresh profile that you know will develop and improve for many years. Honestly, it’s one of the finest champagnes on the market, and the name Initial, as if to suggest and introductory bottling, is somewhat misleading.

DVI Norris Nice. And not overly oxidized. What a champagne. Really anorak and non-commercial but it sure has something. Yellow apples, marzipan, tobacco, cane sugar... Goes on. Long aftertaste as well. Nice.

Degorgerad februari 2011. Mörkt gyllengul. Stor doft av mogna röda äpplen, lite citrus och en massa jäsdeg. Fylligt men bubbelfattigt och medelsyrligt. Äpplena, brödbaket med extra jäst. Och en massa annat också. Lång citrusig och brödig eftersmak. Mycket lättdrucket trots en särpräglad karaktär. Skitgott

2014.08 disgorgement. Not sure if this contains 07 base. Needed quite a bit of air to open up. Initially it was super apple-cidery/bruised apple, but with air those notes rounded out and you get more of the signature Selosse oxidative profile. However, it lacked a bit of sweet honeyed fruit you get from the excellent bottles.

Opened at Caprice. P&P and enjoyed. Also '24 disgorgement. Consistent with previous bottles from presumably the same batch. Lovely balance and perfectly ready now. Onto the next!

Opened at Caprice. P&P and enjoyed. Second bottle of the night, and entirely consistent. '24 disgorgement. Always a joy - onto the next!

Opened at Caprice in HK. P&P and enjoyed. No extensive notes taken, but disgorgement '24 and consistent with what you'd expect. I just love young Initial, bringing that perfect balance between oxidation and freshness for my palate. A joy to share, and onto the next!

2017 disgorgement. Maybe not the best bottle, clean and fresh but missing the power and emotion I expect from the producer. Easy to like but hoped for more.

Dinner with the wine group (Heirloom Cafe, SF) : August 2020 disgorgement. Fresh, bright aromatics with some lemon, minerality; vibrant acidity, low 12% alcohol, great length; long finish. A younger disgorgement and so fairly young for Initial. 94-95

Disg.: 2020. Excellent depth. Perfect timing

Jacques Selosse Initial (deg. 2020) is a powerful and deeply expressive Champagne, bursting with citrus, dried fruit, brioche and subtle oxidative notes. The bright, driving acidity and pronounced mineral edge give it remarkable tension, while the long, layered finish underlines its complexity and precision. A stunning and memorable bottle.

Pain, fleur, sur la finesse et peu de rancio versus les bouteilles bues dans le passé. Texture douce, miel léger. Très beau.

95 pts. Disgorged 22-10-25 and 2.5g dosage 6 years or more on the lees. Pale golden vibrant complex with multilayered flavors. Fine bubbles full bodied and excellent length

2017 base, disgorged 27/4/2023 and 2.5g/l. Complex aromatics of brown spices, brioche, chalk and peach. The palate is deep and vinous. It is sappy, chalky and chewy. There's so much saline minerality. It has green apple crunch and some truffled honey complexity. It is engaging, full, powerful and long.

Selosse Tasting (Weinstein, St. Gallen, Switzerland) : Glass: Spiegelau Definition Universal Clear medium golden color. Nose with warm ripe fruit, fine, elegant oxidative notes. On the palate a bit more chubby and warm compared to 2021 and 2022. Powerful, but not as elegant as 2022. Sweet fruit, salty mineral core, balanced, long finish. 93-94

(Disgorged in 2017) Well-matured, showing less energy than expected, yet still a good and enjoyable wine.

Grand Jury du Vin — Republic of Georgia and France, Third Edition; 11/5/2025-11/15/2025 (Republic of Georgia then Burgundy) : Until 2019, I used to import fifteen cases of Initial annually. In 2017 and earlier, 25 cases annually. It was not that easy to sell and I often consigned to a NY based auction house. A great example of the fickle nature of wine market. I recall this being a relatively recent release. Like my 2018 TN, this is more oxidative …

At Enclos** Restaurant, Sonoma. Brought to the restaurant. Last bottle in the cellar of the 10/2022 disgorgement. Consistent as always, with beautiful tension upon the first half of consumption, with the more umami notes bubbling up after 1.5 hours of being open. Richer as it warms in the glass. Lacks the dollop of density of the Lieux-Dits and less complex/intense than Substance by comparison. Disgorged October 25, 2022. 2.5 g/L dosage. 2016 base, with 2015/2014 reserves.

Første gang vi smagte det. Duftede som noget man ikke var vild med at drikke🤷🏼‍♂️ Oxi 2018 base. Super intens. God balance. Masser af bobler.

2018 vintage

2019 disgorgement. Interesting nose with white flowers, almonds, peach, a bit of oxidative notes, red apples, and brioche. Find mousse with nice acidity, lots of minerality, citrus notes, nuts, toast, and orange zest on the palate. Long finish. This is great, very complex, nuanced, but clearly has some oxidative notes that may not be for everyone.

'20DG. The total package you know what I'm talking about.

2020 disgorgement. Showing quite young, with bright fruit and plenty of mineral freshness. Not at all the stereotypical oxidative selosse. Very good and will likely improve with age.

Base 2009 and disgorged dec 2016. Cheese and bread on the nose and packed with fruit in the mouth. Pretty long finish, just loved it!

Jacques Selosse N.V. Initial: Golden. Good mousse initially which rapidly dissipates. Toasted nuts. More earthy umami than fruit. Bright, complex . Long, lingering finish.

Deg. 2023/03 - quick decant and absolutely singing from the start. A lot more horizontal and fuller in body than his other bottlings, I find. But just crazy elegant with lots of texture.

Opened at Selosse. P&P and enjoyed. This was from a '25 disgorgement. Very fresh, especially so for Selosse, but very much in the style that I like from the Domaine. Otherwise, consistent with expectations and these are going to be very enjoyable over the next few years. Onto the next!

9 OCTOBRE 2019. Solid apple juice, but this bottle is special because I cut my finger trying to take off the foil. Then I drank a lot of it, yummy. 93

Pours a pale lemon in the glass, delicate mousse. Pronounced, developing aromas of toasted almonds, lemon curd, chalk, brioche, dry herbs, bruised green apples-borderline cidery, vanilla pastry- almost fino sherry-like, loads of oxidation here. In the mouth, the wine is dry, high acid, med +/full bodied, med alcohol, pronounced in the mouth, with a long finish. Overall very good/outstanding w/time. Can drink now (slow ox a few hrs), will improve in the cellar, March 2021 disgorge. Second Selosse for me, …

Opened at Caprice in HK. P&P and enjoyed. No extensive notes taken, but bonus bottle from K. Probably 23 or 24 disg. Consistent with expectations, and always so enjoyable. Onto the next!

The birthday BBQ for WW (MS) : Disgorged 2017. Gorgeous showing and I called this as Selosse from the first impression. Everything you expect from Selosse with age which is just a stunning cauldron of oxidativeness, tropical fruit and superb precision and minerality. Selosse is just Selosse!

La Vigne d'Or 10th anniversary charity dinner : Didn't catch the disgorgement but this was showing quite overt oxidative notes that were too powerful and rich for me.

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Jacques Selosse, Initial Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

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