Exquise Demi-Sec
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Foie gras, tarte tatin, mildly spiced Asian cuisine
✨ Technical Specifications
Jacques Selosse's Exquise Demi-Sec is a profound reimagining of a historically celebrated but modernly misunderstood style of Champagne. While most contemporary Champagne houses focus heavily on Extra Brut or Brut Nature, Anselme Selosse created Exquise to demonstrate that dosage, when executed with masterly precision, can elevate rather than mask a wine's terroir. Crafted entirely from Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes grown in the chalky soils of Avize, this Blanc de Blancs undergoes fermentation in oak casks using indigenous yeasts. What sets Exquise apart is its dosage of approximately 22 to 24 grams per liter, which is remarkably integrated due to the immense concentration, vinous texture, and vibrant acidity of the base wine. It stands as a tribute to the 19th-century tradition when sweeter Champagnes ruled the royal courts of Europe, delivered here with Selosse's signature oxidative complexity, notes of candied citrus, honeyed hazelnuts, and a deep, saline minerality.
🍾 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
Chardonnay 100%
🍷 ABV
12%