Non-vintage Technical Specifications
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Classification Champagne Grand Cru, Extra Brut
Region Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Soil Very chalky, Calcareous slope
Orientation East-Facing
Sites Single-vineyard Les Carelles parcel in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Base Wine Years First base year 2003; subsequent releases are assembled through a mini-solera
Production Details Official-importer specification: Les Carelles is a Le Mesnil mini-solera whose first base was 2003. The shared Les Lieux-Dits specification states five years of bottle ageing before disgorgement and a release-dependent dosage range of 0–4 g/L. Producer-level cellar information states that primary fermentations use 228 L Burgundy barrels, 400 L fûts and 600 L demi-muids; wines spend one year in barrel, 16% new barrels are added to the rotation annually, and malolactic fermentation may occur or not according to the individual lot. Exact-wine trade sources describe hand harvesting and wood vinification/ageing, and recommend serving at 10–12°C. Bottle-specific records, not generalized to every NVXX release: a Wine Advocate-reviewed bottle was disgorged 25 April 2012; another bottle was disgorged 1 February 2016 and listed at 12.5% alcohol; another was disgorged 4 February 2020 and listed at 12.5% alcohol. One trade listing asserts malolactic fermentation for Les Carelles, but because the importer describes MLF as lot-dependent, no vintage-wide malolactic boolean is proposed.
Tasting Notes Wine Advocate review of the bottle disgorged 25 April 2012: butter, pastry, tropical fruit, spices and smoke; notably powerful, broad and rich.
Producer Information
Website
Address
59, rue de Cramant, 51190 Avize, France
Phone
+33 3 26 57 70 06
Owner
Anselme Selosse and Guillaume Selosse
Cellarmaster
Anselme Selosse