Champagne Jacquesson

The history of Jacquesson

The history of Maison Jacquesson begins at the end of the 18th century, with the purchase of a parcel of land from the Châlons hospitals, on which Château Jacquesson was built. Legend has it - or is it true? - that the house enjoyed dazzling success, as its champagne was a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte, who even awarded it a gold medal. It's true that Napoleon loved handing out medals!

From 1829, Jacquesson continued its expansion by absorbing the Juglar company. When Adolphe Jacquesson, son of Memmie, joined the company, it took the name Jacquesson & Fils. In 1844, Jacquesson registers the patent for the muselet and its plate. This is the metal washer at the top of the champagne bottle that everyone knows. It's also used for sparkling wine, beer and cider, or any other sparkling wine to hold the cork.

The 1860s and 1870s were disastrous for the House of Jacquesson, as not only Adolphe, but also his two sons, then in their twenties, died. The house changed hands several times over the following decades. In 1925, it was taken over by Léon de Tassigny, a Champagne broker, before Jean Chiquet bought it in 1974. Today, his sons Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet are at the helm. They are converting production to organic champagne, with fermentation carried out exclusively in oak barrels.

For the sake of quality, it was decided to limit annual production to 350,000 bottles.

The terroir of the Jacquesson champagne house

The vignobles Jacquesson are located in the classified grand cru villages of Aÿ, Avize and Oiry and in the classified premier cru villages of Dizy, Hautvillers and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. They are also established in the village of Chouilly, classified grand cru, and Cumières, classified premier cru.

The slopes are rather steep, facing east, south or southwest and preferably on terroir where the chalk is always present under more or less deep coverings. In the Côte des Blancs, at Avize and Oiry, the plots face due south and the chalk is outcropping.

However, Jacquesson wines do not always come exclusively from the company's own vineyards. In practice, they account for 80% of production, which limits purchases. Outside production always comes from plots adjacent to the house's vines, so that we can control their behaviour and guarantee the best quality.

The vines are grown in the traditional way, with little or no amendment and organic treatments. Soils are ploughed or grassed, and pruning is short. The house policy is to curb vine vigor, in order to better reveal the parcel diversity and reinforce the influence of minerality on the fruit.

Winemaking at Maison Jacquesson

The juices are strictly selected according to their quality. Some of it is resold. Vinification is systematically carried out in oak barrels, in old foudres to avoid the aromatization engendered by new wood. This allows the wine to breathe freely. Some reserve wines are stored in demi-muids, i.e. 500-liter barrels.

After fermentations, which last three or four months, clarification takes place naturally. No racking is carried out, allowing the wine to feed off its lees. The wine is then aged for a long period, until bottling.

The unique Jacquesson blend: Cuvée 700

The Cuvée 700 is Maison Jacquesson's unique blend. Since it must reflect the expression of each year, each time it presents a new profile, identified by a number. This concept is unique throughout the Champagne region, and is the opposite of the brut sans année. Rather than regularity, Jacquesson focuses on excellence. It's about respecting the character of the vintage and doing everything possible to bring out a great wine. The reserve wines are there to reinforce the wine's complexity, but must never be too present, so as not to conceal the character of the base year.

Why cuvée 700?

Cuvée 700 is a blend of several years. It is therefore impossible to identify it by mentioning just one of these years. So a number had to be chosen, and 700 is symbolic for the House of Jasquesson, as it refers to the production number the Cuvée bears in the bottling books. Cuvée n° 1 was created by the House in 1898 to celebrate its first centenary. And it was with Cuvée n° 728, made from the 2000 harvest that the adventure began for the brand.

The characteristics of Cuvée 700

Cuvée 700 is made from the house's three Grands Crus and two Premiers Crus. It is produced only from the first jus de presse. Always vinified in foudres, almost always unfiltered, it is offered with two different maturations. During the first few years, the second fermentation in the champagne bottle allows effervescence to develop. This is also an opportunity to enjoy slow maturation on the lees for Cuvée 700, aged for four years.

As the maturation phase continues beyond the first three or four years, tertiary aromas make their appearance and mingle with the freshness preserved thanks to aging in a very low-oxidative environment. This is the Cuvée 700 Dégorgement Tardif, whose maturation is extended to nine years.

Cuvée 700 is the perfect accompaniment to your aperitifs. If you like seafood, treat yourself to oysters or lobster à la nage. When it's time for cheese, bring out the chaource and finish with a tarte vigneronne.