2005 Jacquesson Aÿ Vauzelle Terme

Jacquesson

France / Champagne / Jacquesson

The Vauzelle Terme lieu-dit is situated half way down the slope, facing south on limestone and millstone grit gravel resting on blocks of Campanian chalk. The site comprises 2,500 vines of Pinot Noir planted on 0.3 Ha in 1980. The vines are permanent cordon pruned, with cover-cropping between rows and no fertiliser used.

October, 2015

Tyson Stelzer

The Champagne Guide 2016-2017

96 points

This tiny pocket is Jacquesson’s finest pocket of all, giving birth to a Champagne for long contemplation in large glasses and preferably not for at least five years yet. The 2005 is the vintage to drink while 2004 and 2002 mellow long in the cellar. This is a vintage driven by the structure and dry, textural grip of the season, expressed in notes of wood spice and quince. In time, fruit rises to enchanting reflections of poached strawberries, red apples and cherries, laced with ginger and exotic spice. A finely structured texture unites creamy lees age with chalk mineral depth. A rousing celebration of Aÿ Pinot Noir.

March, 2016

Stephan Reinhardt

The Wine Advocate

95 points

From a tiny 30-acre plot that Jean-Hervé Chiquet calls their best terroir (although its very sensitive to botrytis and does not get its grapes to full ripeness very often), the very rare 2005 Extra Brut Aÿ Vauzelle Terme opens with a very clear and intense, but also delicate sweet cherry bouquet intermixed with chalky and iodine flavors. The wine was opened four hours before and offers a lovely, fresh and fruity taste and a chalky/dusty texture along with white and red fruit flavors, as well as some dashes of lemon juice. This is a fascinatingly firm and very mineral Champagne full of vibrancy, finesse and delicacy. A serious and expressive terroir wine indeed and one of my absolute favorite Champagnes of 2015.

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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."