This exclusive access isn’t luck of the draw, either: Without our steadfast dedication to Vesselle over the years, we would’ve been left empty-handed and, probably, unaware of its existence. But that’s not the case, and tonight, for a cool $60, you can be one of the first and only in the world to get their hands on a bottle of this expressive Champagne. It’s the Vesselle you know love—vinous, textured, profound, mineral—with zero grams of sugar. The old adage “less is more” couldn’t be more fitting! First come first serve. Three gets you free Ground Shipping. 

[NOTE: If this is your first time seeing our Friday night series, welcome. My name is Mark Osburn, writer and sommelier at SommSelect, and you’re likely familiar with the many Champagnes I’ve waxed rhapsodic about over the years. My goal is simple: to offer you rare Champagne exclusives and/or highly allocated sparkling gems that have to be pried out of an iron grip. These special offers don’t happen every week, but they will always be on a Friday night...stay ever-vigilant.]

Anyone who loves great Champagne, and Pinot Noir, recognizes Bouzy as ground zero for the region’s most profound expressions of the variety, with a brilliant constellation of blue-chip producers that includes Pierre Paillard, Benoît Lahaye, and Paul Bara. The ‘Vesselle’ surname is attached to several different properties within Bouzy, which can get confusing, but Delphine and David Vesselle have distinguished themselves by producing distinctive sparklers that are about as close to ‘Burgundy with bubbles’ as one could hope to get. The family’s 15 hectares of vineyards are planted to 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, a ratio which mirrors that of Bouzy as a whole. Across the entire Vesselle lineup, Pinot Noir is the star. That said, tonight’s “L’Expression” does contain 20% Chardonnay. 

What originally started out as a dosage (sugar addition) trial, in which six different bottles were dosed from 0 grams to 52 grams, the zero-sugar was the unanimous standout. So, Delphine decided to bottle a small portion for her top clients and that’s how 25 cases found their way to America. It’s an 80/20 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from their Grand Cru sites in Bouzy and Chouilly, with a touch of family-owned fruit down in Loches-sur-Ource (in the Aube). The grapes naturally fermented in stainless steel before blending, bottling, and maturing on its fine lees. It was disgorged at the end of 2019 without a single grain of sugar. 

The wine? It’ll teleport you to simpler times, melt away any stresses in your life, and embrace your palate with some of the purest notes Champagne can offer. It’s both vinous and supremely elegant. Like a Burgundy from a classic vintage, it dazzles with powerful minerality and a bone-dry yet pleasantly fresh core of fruit. Green apple core, red apple skin, Rainier cherry, red plum, citrus peel, acacia, chalk, crushed stones, oyster shell, lees, and a touch of dried herbs. Seeing as we’re in the middle of a non-dosage movement, a substantial number of “Brut Nature” bottlings can be nerve-rattling and abrasive laser beams with little-to-no regard for our tasting pleasure. Not Vesselle’s. Centuries of farming lush Pinot Noir in Grand Cru Bouzy has resulted in a wine bursting with absolute joy. I don’t think I could call this a brut nature in a blind tasting—there’s just too much beautiful ripeness and “forwardness’ to this Champagne. It’s broadly textured and gushing with just-ripe citrus and orchard fruits that meld right into a savory and mineral-dominated finish. Again, we only have access to 18 cases, and I wish I could keep them all for myself. This is a flat-out rarity for $60!