Jacquesson & Fils - Champagne 'Cuvée No. 746' Extra Brut NV
IN STOCK
$75.00
Jacquesson is one of Champagne’s most venerable houses, not only predating Krug, but giving birth to it, when in 1843 Johann-Joseph Krug left Jacquesson to form his own house. But despite more than 200 years of history, Jacquesson has become a revolutionary among Champagne’s established houses, under the leadership of brothers Laurent and Jean-Hervé Chiquet, who took over from their father in the 1980’s.
Since then, the house has adopted a herbicide-free, terroir-based philosophy. It also retired, after 150 years, its non-vintage blend and replaced it with a groundbreaking single-vintage-based cuvée, which changes yearly. And next came its terroir-based cuvées, an unprecedented move for a traditional house.
With the 2000 vintage, Jacquesson created a stir when they announced that its 150-year-old non-vintage Perfection Brut label would be retired and replaced with a numbered, vintage-based cuvée (the first being ‘728’). Each year, a new-subsequently numbered-cuvée is released, with Cuvée No. 734 based on the 2006 vintage, Cuvée No. 733 on the 2005 vintage, etc.
This innovation has marked a breakthrough in vineyard expression, revealing remarkable minerality in the wines’ transparency. Not surprisingly, it has received a chorus of critical acclaim from both connoisseurs and the press, with Peter Liem, for example, calling it, “consistently one of the best non-vintage bruts on the market.”
75% of the harvest came from Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers, Champillon and 25% from Avize and Oiry. Winter was mild and dry. Spring frost struck three times and mainly caused damage to the Chardonnay vines, hence the predominance of the Pinots in this cuvee. Summer was dry with heatwaves that caused sunburn. Harvested very high-quality crop with moderate yields from 12th to 22nd September. The wines are structured, balanced, long and complex. Respectful soil management and plant cultivation methods with the aim of expressing plot diversity. Vinification and aging in large wooden vats on the lees without either filtration or fining.
Producer: Jacquesson & Fils
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Varietal: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
Appellation: Champagne
Vintage: NV
Size: 750ml