Jacques Selosse Contraste NV
Village: Avize (Grand Cru), Côtes des Blancs; Blend: 100% Pinot Noir (Successive vintages of Pinot from Aÿ and Ambonnay); Style: Blanc de Noirs; Attributes: Assertive but not overpowering or aggressive; poised and restrained.

First Impression: Pleasantly disconcerting.

The Moment: October 28, 2008. Eleven Madison, NYC. A rare champagne dinner with Anselme and Corine Selosse and other wine industry professionals and enthusiasts Anselme, a cult-status winemaker, does not fly around on marketing trips several times a year. Even booking an appointment with him in Champagne is a feat. Similarly atypical is his blanc de noirs Contraste, especially for a Selosse, known as a producer of Chardonnay-based wines. A celebratory wine and Anselme’s first experience with black grapes, it is a powerful wine, in line with Selosse’s philosophy and style, yet it is restrained. And perhaps because of Anselme’s usual focus, this wine drank as if it were made with white grapes in mind. I love how this wine threw me off.

Pairings: At Eleven Madison, lobster bisque with chestnuts and crème fraîche. Also try, any rich seafood dish but avoid spiciness and saltiness.

Context: This is a fine-dining wine. I’d want to have it with refined cuisine in a spacious, single-seating restaurant. I don’t care when it comes in the course of my meal, as I see it being an accompaniment to either the start or finish of the repast.

Where to find it:
PARIS: FinestWine.com ($370) 33-556-680-545