Au Dessus du Gros Mont is Guillaume Selosse's own single-vineyard Blanc de Blancs, made from one old parcel of Chardonnay in grand cru Cramant. Output is tiny, and this bottle carries the 2018 date.
About This Champagne
Guillaume works the parcel much as the family domaine does: natural yeasts, fermentation in barrel, malolactic allowed to happen on its own, then a long rest on lees, about five to six years by most accounts. Dosage is very low, around 1.5 g/L, so the finished wine is Extra Brut.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dried peach, sour apple, cantaloupe and a nutty, biscotti note, with anise and chalk behind.
- Palate: Linear and precise, with bright acidity, a firm mineral core and a fine, restrained mousse. A touch leaner than the father's wines.
- Finish: Dry and persistent, returning to toasted nuts, aniseed and chalk.
Serving & Food
Take it out of the fridge a little early and serve at 11 to 12°C in a Burgundy white glass, where it will change a lot over an hour. Pair with langoustine carpaccio, poached chicken with vin jaune sauce or a well-aged Comté.
How to Enjoy
A small-production single-vineyard Champagne for people who follow the Selosse family and enjoy lean, vinous Blanc de Blancs.
Product Details
Producer: Guillaume Selosse
Cuvée: Au Dessus du Gros Mont
Village: Cramant (Grand Cru)
Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Style: Extra Brut grower Champagne
Region: Champagne, France
Origin: France
Volume: 750mL
About the Maison
Guillaume Selosse is the son of Anselme Selosse, and since 2018 he has run the family domaine, Jacques Selosse, in Avize. Separately from the family range he makes a few wines under his own name, and Au Dessus du Gros Mont was the first of them, starting with the 2009 harvest.
The vines came to him from his grandmother as an 18th-birthday present. The parcel is old, around 70 years by several merchant accounts, and sits high in the north-eastern corner of Cramant. Part of it faces south and part faces north, so the fruit ripens unevenly across the plot, which gives the winemaker both richness and freshness to work with. Only about 50 cases are made in a typical year.