Contraste Blanc de Noirs Brut
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2038
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, creamy mushroom risotto, aged Comté cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Jacques Selosse's 'Contraste' is a legendary, highly coveted Blanc de Noirs that serves as a masterclass in the expressive potential of Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru village of Aÿ. Originally created by Anselme Selosse as a counterpoint to his iconic Chardonnay-dominant cuvées, Contraste was crafted using a solera system of perpetual reserve wines, a technique that would later evolve into the celebrated single-vineyard 'La Côte Faron' bottling. This wine is celebrated for its deep, vinous character, oxidative complexity, and intense minerality, born from low yields, indigenous yeast fermentation in oak casks, and minimal dosage. It represents a historic chapter in Champagne's revolution, showcasing a bold, structured, and deeply intellectual expression of Aÿ terroir.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1949 by Jacques Selosse in the Grand Cru village of Avize, Domaine Jacques Selosse emerged as the spiritual vanguard of the grower Champagne revolution under the leadership of Jacques’ son Anselme, who took control in 1980, and grandson Guillaume. Spanning roughly 7.5 to 8 hectares across prime terroirs in Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Aÿ, Ambonnay, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, the estate champions low yields and chemical-free viticulture rooted in organic and biodynamic principles aligned with lunar cycles. Selosse redefined Champagne vinification by applying Burgundian techniques, fermenting base wines with indigenous yeasts in oak barrels, extending lees contact, and embracing intentional oxidative maturation with minimal dosage. Renowned for its singular solera-aged Blanc de Blancs 'Substance' and parcel-specific Lieux-Dits collection (including Les Carelles and Sous le Mont), the domaine crafts vinosity and textural authority that capture pure, uncompromising chalk-driven minerality.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir