Jacquesson Cuvee 745

Description

Recent visit to Jacquesson house in Champagne and tasting with Jean Herve Chiquet confirmed the extraordinary calibre of this wine .. Jacquesson is the oldest independent family owned champagne house and was Napoleon ‘s favourite house.  The family is deeply wedded to concept of terroir including organic practices in the vineyard.   Gorgeous depth, elegance and finesse here.

A chardonnay dominant style (47% chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, predominantly from the 2014 vintage comprising all the single vineyard prestige cuvee fruit from Champ Cain, Vauzelle Terme & Corne Bautray that was declassified) exclusively from grand and premier cru vineyards; base wines were fermented in old oak casks on lees.  They champion quality ahead of champenoise obsession with similarity and consistency they replaced the all important non vintage wine with a numbered cuvee.  Their vineyards are in Grand Cru villages of Ay, Avize and Oiry and premier Cru of Hautvillers, Dizy and Mareuil sur Ay.   Even Paul Krug cut his teeth at Jacquesson before relocating to start his own show later in Reims.

Jacquesson has been awarded 3 stars (the best and maximum ranking!) in Le Classement by La Revue de Vin de France.  Le Classement is a ranking of the 1300 best domaines in France and only 56 domaines in France have 3 star status. Jacquesson together with Krug.,Salon and 3 other champagne producers were awarded the 3 star status.

“No Champagne house today is on a trajectory as steep as Jacquesson. While many houses are on the prowl for more fruit to increase production, Jacquesson is drastically slashing its yields and its contracts to radically improve quality in spite of lowering quantity. When others set out to make a consistent blend every year, Jacquesson throws uniformity to the wind to draw the best blend out of every vintage. Each time I look, this little house in the village of Dizy appears more like a fanatical grower producer. Jacquesson has leapt from ranking among Champagne’s top 20 houses to a lofty position among its top 10.” Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide, 2016-2017

Cuvee 745 is here ! The latest wine from the fabulous frères Chiquet is a portrait of 2017 and their harvest in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (66%), Avize and Oiry (35%).

‘2017, and our harvest from Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (66%) Avize and Oiry (34%). Winter and spring were exceptionally dry; the beginning of spring was mild but, in April, destructive frosts ravaged the vineyards, especially in the Côte des Blancs. Temperatures then rose and the weather was good until July. The end of the growing season was warm with some rain. We began harvest on 4th September, finishing on the 13th. Rigorous sorting resulted in a low volume of ripe and healthy grapes. The resulting wines proved to be rich and dense and we completed the cuvée with some reserve wines. Dosage: 0.75 g/L.’ – Jean-Hervé Chiquet

As always, a few 700-series reserve wines complete the cuvée, which required a dosage of just 0.75g/L.

The concentration of this wine puts this up there with the finest 700 series release to date.  This is the sublime champagne.

93 points, James Suckling “A little more bright and vibrant than the 744, with notes of poached pear, baked apple, grapefruit, lemon rind and pistachio. Fine bubbles with crisp acidity and a pure, fruity core. Very drinkable. 0.75g/L dosage.”

17 points Jancis Robinson “Tight and tightly laced with some putty aromas. So savoury and mineral! Very distinctive. It should be longlived. Admirably persistent.”

RRP $174     Our Special Price $149.99 – VERY LIMITED.