2002 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.

October, 2013

Tyson Stelzer

The Champagne Guide 2014-2015

96 points

Nuances of exotic spice weave seamlessly amid white peach and fig, with notes of vanilla and nougat. A beautifully gauged hint of flinty reduction gives an air of sophistication to tight grapefruit and lemon aromas. Chalk minerality is soft, subtle and understated, in a graceful and elegant style of prolonged persistence and exacting poise. Signature Avize.

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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."