Jacques Selosse Champagne Substance Blanc de Blanc NV (Disg Sep 2020)

'No champagne grower is as renowned or as influential as Anselme Selosse. Whether directly or indirectly, he has inspired an entire generation of young winegrowers in the region, and among consumers, his champagnes have become some of the most sought-after wines in the world. As with many wines that seek to push their boundaries, Selosse's champagnes are not without controversy; some believe them to be at the pinnacle of what can be achieved in the region, while others find them incomprehensible. Regardless, it's undeniable that these are highly original champagnes, and wines of intense personality. " - Peter Liem, ChampagneGuide.net

'The "madman of Avize"may turn out to be the "prophet of Avize" - by which I mean that it is hard to think of a single individual in Champagne whose work (though by no means uniformly admired) is more influential than that of Anselme Selosse. Fastidious viticulture (which happens to be biodynamic); ripeness levels previously thought unattainable in the region; radically non-interventionist methods; the use of a wide variety of containers and long ageing are some of the lodestars of méthode, Selosse. The veneer of eccentricity conceals a sharp and scholarly intelligence, and if the future of Champagne is truly going to one in which terroir plays more of a role then the region as a whole will have to pay more attention of Selosse and less to it's accountants and brand managers. "We need a hundred Selosses," as Daniel Lorson of the CIVC puts it. " -Andrew Jefford, The New France