2004 Champagne Jacquesson Dizy Terres Rouges Rosé

Jacquesson

France / Champagne / Jacquesson

The lieu-dit of Terres Rouges can be found on a shelf located on the lower slopes of the Premier Cru vignoble of Dizy where Jacquesson farms more than 6 hectares, half of them planted to Pinot Noir, half to Pinot Meunier. Terres Rouges, so called for its reddish-brown calcareous soil lying on chalky silt deposits, has deep, lightly stony and well drained terrain which benefits from good hydrous reserves. The vine takes root easily, and can find water and minerals deep in the sub-soil.
The two parcels of Terres Rouges used in 2003 were again used this year; one in the south-east planted in 1971 to Pinot Meunier, the other in the north-west planted to Pinot Noir in 1993. Picking took place on 25th September and the grapes were very healthy and nicely ripe. After destemming, the grapes (71% Pinot Meunier and 29% Pinot Noir) were macerated for 30 hours before the wine was drawn off. The colour of the resulting juice was much lighter than in 2003 and the must was measured at 10.3 degrees of potential alcohol with an acidity of 6.4g/L. Terre Rouges Rosé 2004 was vinified in oak foudres and bottled on 13th May 2005.

Peter Liem

ChampagneGuide.net

This isn't quite as deep in color as the concentrated 2003, but it's still unusually dark for a rosé champagne, showing an intense scarlet hue. If I were to describe this wine in one word, it would have to be: delicious. Not to detract from its complexity and refinement and balance and all of those other more highbrow things, but from the moment you smell this all the way until its last, fleeting flavors dissipate on the finish, this just makes you want to drink it. The pure, brambly fruit is vibrant and fresh, redolent of redcurrant and wild berries, and there's a slightly smoky, flint-like minerality that gains in presence as this moves back on the palate, turning spicy and even slightly gamy on the back end. This feels seamless from beginning to end, enlivened by its perfectly judged dosage: curiously, this says Brut on the label, while the 2003 was labeled as Extra Brut, although with only five grams per liter, this also certainly qualifies as extra brut (the 2003 was dosed at 3.5 g./l., due to the increased ripeness of that warm vintage). It takes about half an hour to fully emerge, so be patient with it and allow it to reveal all of its subtlety and finely-poised depth.

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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."