The latest release of Selosse’s NV Brut Rosé, based on the 2018 vintage and disgorged in February 2024 with 2.5 grams per liter dosage, derives mostly from Avize and Cramant. Similarly to Initial, the sources for the Rosé are primarily the lower-altitude slopes. At its core, it is Chardonnay, complemented by about 3% Pinot Noir, sourced from the Egly family (aged in Selosse’s barrel), a historical exchange between the two growers. Guillaume told me that for the Rosé, they select barrels with more pronounced spicy character. Flamboyant and ample, the wine offers a deep bouquet of orange zest, cardamon, dried fruit and walnut. Laden with mouthwatering acidity and chalky structuring extract, it is one of the most characterful, complex rosés to be found in France.

The NV Brut Rose is a serious, rich wine although this version is perhaps a touch more inward and less immediately thrilling than some past bottlings. Textural depth, the finest of mousses, gorgeous aromatic delineation and superb purity in the fruit are the hallmarks of this gorgeous, vinous rose. A long, crystalline finish rounds out the finish. Disgorged October 15, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015. Anselme Selosse is one of Champagne’s most iconic figures. This year Selosse has two new wines that are the first in what will be a selection of six lieu-dit Champagnes, all made with the solera process. For now, these remain works in progress. It will be interesting to see the direction the wines take from here. Importer: The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

From a bottle disgorged in December 2018, Selosse's NV Brut Rosé is based on his V.O. blend, with the addition of Pinot Noir from his friend Francis Egly. Bursting with scents of dried fruits, white cherries, beeswax and spices, the wine is full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with Pinot Noir phenolics only amplifying the chalky, mineral signature that defines the V.O.—making for a remarkably vinous, gastronomic Champagne.