Michel Fallon and the ‘Selossians’ of Avize

‘Selossians’ is not the name of some alien race but the one given to a movement of small Champagne vigneron who have followed the example of Anselme Selosse by abandoning any other farm activity and concentrating on producing their own Champagne. After studying enology in Beaune, Selosse took over his family’s farm at the end of the 1980s and decided to make a Champagne that was more of a wine than a bubbly. He did this by introducing the use of barriques and the method of batonnage, or paddling, in order to mutate Burgundy whites and give the Chardonnay of Avize a new soul, a personal voice that could identify it.

His choices impressed many vigneron in the area around Avize who, convinced by the success Selosse had in the 1990s, converted their farms into small Récoltant Manipulant Maisons. One such case was that of Michel Fallon, a small producer in the Grand Cru village of Avize who produces only one Champagne from Chardonnay grapes, the blanc de blancs Ozanne. The name is a homage to his Grand Cru village because Ozanne is the ancient name of Avize, which up until 796 was called ‘Ozanne la belle’, as the back label of his wine explains. It is a non-vintage bubbly that first appeared on the market some eight years ago. The wine ferments in fut de chene (oak barrels) and has a grapey style that is never heavy and is innovative without having the excesses of some organic wines that at times exalt certain characteristics in order to give them a distinct quality and make them recognizable.

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