Lieux-dits Les Carelles
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted turbot, aged Comte cheese, roasted veal sweetbreads
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the legendary Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Les Carelles is a mesmerizing expression of Chardonnay shaped by the visionary winemaking of the Selosse estate. The name of this lieu-dit pays homage to the historic square chalk quarries, or carelles, once mined in this specific, steeply sloped hillside vineyard. Here, the vines dig deep into pure, powdery limestone, yielding grapes of fierce acidity and crystalline minerality. To capture the true essence of this terroir rather than the variation of individual years, a solera-style perpetual reserve system was initiated in 2003. Aged in oak casks, this unique approach tempers the naturally austere, razor-sharp chalkiness of Le Mesnil with a rich, oxidative complexity, resulting in a Champagne of unparalleled depth, tension, and vinous character.
🍾 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
🍷 ABV
12.5%