I have long been a fan of Champagne Jacquesson, though I find the single parcel wines increasingly difficult to track down. In fact, I have taken to buying odd bottles of mature vintages from reputable sources to offer on our Wine Pro website, from where I might be able to snaffle the odd bottle for a client lunch!
Based in the village of Dizy in Vallée de la Marne, Champagne Jacquesson has a long and illustrious history. When Memmie Jacquesson founded the house in 1798, it coincided with the rise of Napoleon, as noted by Michael Edwards in his superb ‘The Finest Wines of Champagne’, written as part of The World of Fine Wine's set of guides. It is said that Napoleon liked to call in on the house in Chalons-sur-Marne to acquire Jacquesson’s Champagnes as he headed to or from various campaigns in Europe. As patronage goes, this was surely a benefit to a fledgling producer.
I like the historical aspects, so do indulge me – Memmie’s son, Adolphe was a talented winemaker and blender and did much to develop champagne production. It was Adolphe who taught a certain Joseph Johann Krug the skill of blending, and who encouraged pharmacist Jean-Baptiste Francois to develop the ‘Réduction Francois’, which, as Michael states, reduced the proportion of exploding bottles from 25 to 4 percent. And, if that was not enough, Adolphe patented the muselet, the wire mesh and cap that anchors the Champagne cork firmly in place and is now used universally in sparkling wine production.
So, when we raise a glass of Jacquesson, we might not be toasting success at Austerlitz, but we can consider the rich history behind the label and the technological advancements brought about by one particular character!
The most recent news concerning Champagne Jacquesson is its sale to Artémis Domaines, the company owned by Francois Pinault, which also owns Château Latour in Bordeaux and Clos de Tart in Burgundy, amongst others. Artémis had acquired a 33% stake in early 2022 and concluded the deal before year-end. Jean-Hervé Chiquet and his brother Laurent owned the estate but were conscious that they had no successor in the family and wanted to sell to a company intent on taking it forward. Interestingly, the Chiquet brothers will continue to supply grapes from their own vineyards to Champagne Jacquesson. This is the second acquisition in Champagne for Artémis, following their purchase of Champagne Henriot in October 2022.
The estate comprises some 28 hectares of vineyard in Avize, Aÿ and Dizy, which accounts for around 80% of production – the remaining 20% is sourced under contract. This offer focuses on a wine from Dizy, namely the Terres Rouges. The Chiquets used to make an impressive rosé from these vines, produced via the saignée method (allowing the colour from the skins to bleed into the juice), but in the last few vintages it has been made as a Blanc de Noirs. The vineyard extends over just one hectare, at the foot of a gentle east-facing hill in the village of Dizy. The name alludes to the richly coloured reddish-brown limestone soil that dominates this vineyard as it rises towards the border with Hautvillers.
This offer focuses on a mixed case of 2012 and 2013 Jacquesson Dizy Terres Rouges, containing one bottle of 2012 and five bottles of 2013, mixed at the estate. Both these vintages were relatively classic, late ripening vintages, with perceptibly little difference in conditions, yet 2013 yielded five times as much as 2012, hence the ratio in the mixed case (10,512 bottles of 2013 were made, while just 2,572 bottles of 2012 were made). Both vintages were disgorged in February 2021. The 2012 is zero dosage, whereas the 2013 has 0.75g/l added as it had fractionally higher acidity.
I haven’t had the opportunity to taste either of these vintages – I must be losing my touch, but these have become tricky to access and I am really pleased to have a chance to make this offer. If you have never tasted Jacquesson Champagnes, I find their wines to reveal a crystalline kind of purity and a sense of mineral tension. They are elegant, refined wines, but show in a fuller, richer, perhaps even rounder style than examples from other houses. They can be judged as wines rather than solely in the sub-category of Champagne, if you see what I mean. They remind me of one critic's comment about the wines of another Champagne house, describing them as white Burgundy with bubbles. Part of this richer nature relates to harvest date, part to the use of large oak for the base wines. It will be interesting for me to taste the more recent releases to see if the style shifts under the new ownership.
I cannot find a note on the 2012 – perhaps critics struggle for access too, but I have included William Kelley’s note on the 2013 from January last year.
Mixed Case of Champagne Jaquesson Extra Brut, Premier Cru Dizy – Terres Rouges, containing 1 bottle of 2012 and 5 bottles of 2013
£695 per 6 bottle case in bond.
2013 Champagne Jaquesson Extra Brut, Premier Cru Dizy – Terres Rouges
95 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Disgorged in February 2021 with 0.75 grams per liter dosage, the 2013 Extra-Brut Premier Cru Dizy - Terres Rouges is the latest iteration of a site formerly rendered as a macerated rosé. Offering up notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, nougat, hints of honeycomb and white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, with an elegantly vinous profile, effortless balance and a pretty pinpoint mousse. Classy and understated, this has turned out beautifully. Drink 2021-2038
So, there you go, a rare opportunity to access a fascinating wine from an impressive Champagne house. I should add that the two wines offered in this case were made and disgorged before the new owners took charge.