2004 Champagne Jacquesson Avize Champ Caïn Blanc de Blancs

Jacquesson

France / Champagne / Jacquesson

THE LIEU-DIT
Champ Caïn - faces due south at the foot of the hill
THE SOIL
Clayey, sandy, silty structure with a lot of chalk gravel, resting on Campanian chalk
THE VINE
12,000 vines of Chardonnay planted on 1.3 ha in 1962. Chablis pruning, cover-cropping between rows, no fertilisers.
THE YEAR
June was dry and cool, July and August mild but rainy. September was hot and sunny, as was the beginning of October. An almost ideal growing season
THE GRAPES
Harvested 4th of October 2004. 11° alc. 6.6 gr/l acidity
THE WINE
Vinified in a 75 hls oak cask, lees stirring, malolactic fermentation fully achieved, two rackings before bottling without filtration on 13th of May 2005
8 years on the lees before disgorgement in February 2013
Dosage 1.5 g/L

October, 2013

Tyson Stelzer

The Champagne Guide 2014-2015

95 points

This blanc de blancs gives the impression of generosity, then quickly pulls into a chiselled and streamlined vector of crunchy pear and apple fruit with a crisp grapefruit zest finish, accented with pristine aromas of pure apple blossom and a hint of nutmeg. Deep layers of fine, salty minerality are amplified by subtle barrel and fruit structure, and the textural influence of long lees ageing. An intricately structured champagne that will require at least five years to put flesh on its tense frame.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

Magnum Bottle Out of Stock

About Jacquesson

Jacquesson has an impressive history. It was founded in 1798 in Châlons by Memmie Jacquesson, son of a wine trader. The house rapidly rose to fame, aided by the fact that Napoleon was a fan. However, everything that we today value about Jacquesson began in 1974 when Côte des Blancs winegrower Jean Chiquet acquired the brand and vineyards and moved the domicile of the house to Dizy. His sons Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet are the present custodians of the Jacquesson trading house, which manages to cover almost 90% of its grape requirement from its own vineyards. These are located in the Grands Crus Aÿ, Avize and Oiry, and in the Premiers Crus Hautvillers, Dizy and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Additional grapes are only bought from growers who follow exactly the same methods as the Chiquets. The fruit is pressed by Jacquesson itself in its four presses, three of which are located in Dizy and one in Avize.


About

Laurent and Jean-Hervé Chiquet see themselves primarily as winegrowers who cultivate the land and do everything with the aim of obtaining the best possible grapes. And from there, the brothers have been ready to break with convention in order to deliver the best possible wine every time - hence the decision to introduce the 7-series non-vintage wines instead of the traditional house NV. In his 2018 article entitled Champagne’s Top Five Movers & Shakers, Tyson Stelzer summed up the approach pretty well: "It’s been 40 years since Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet’s family purchased Jacquesson, 30 years since the brothers took control, 20 years since they turned champagne’s non-vintage concept on it head with their controversial ‘700 series’ cuvée, and ten years since they pulled their most cunning stunt of all by slashing production to ramp up quality. And ramp up it has."