Jacquesson’s Cuvée 743 disappeared in a perfect storm of spring, re-opening and its own awesomeness. Roll on 744!
The latest wine from the fabulous frères Chiquet is a portrait of 2016 and their harvest in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (55%), Avize and Oiry (45%).
Winter and spring were extremely rainy. Temperatures at the start of the year were mild at first, then temperatures dropped from the end of February, with severe frosts occurring at the end of April. Late spring was sunny and cool, but summer got both very hot and very dry.
Jean-Hervé, Laurent and the team started picking on September 19th and finished on October 6th, with a hiatus of a few days in between to take into account fairly uneven levels of maturity across the parcels.
The harvest gave them ripe and perfectly healthy grapes. They reported wines that were aromatic and tasty with a notable mention for the very successful Pinot Noir.
As always, a few 700-series reserve wines complete the cuvée, which required a dosage of just 0.75g/L.
Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée No. 744 $149
Despite its putative parentage of the balmy 2016 vintage, which makes up 70% of the blend, the Cuvée 744 bears all the Jacquesson hallmarks, namely encyclopaedic complexity, with tropical notes of guava and pineapple discreet behind the mealy, rich and yet wonderfully controlled mid-palate. Shard-like acidity runs through the ensemble and the finish is powerful and satisfying.
93 points. Simon Field MW, Decanter Magazine
Very attractive aromas of cooked apple with fresh brioche. Bread dough and some lemon rind, too. Medium to full body with a creamy and refined mouth feel and a rounded finish. Some almond and cooked apple in the aftertaste. Very drinkable now. 45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot noir and 20% Pinot Meunier.
92 points. James Suckling, jamessuckling.com