Jacquesson Champagne

Discover Jacquesson champagne

One of the oldest and most admired houses among lovers of fine wines, founded in Châlons-sur-Marne in 1798. Jacquesson is unlike any other: every year, the house proclaims its independence by creating the best possible blend, the opposite of the regularity of style that Champagne imposes as the norm. A champagne that changes every year, driven by the conviction that wine is first and foremost the expression of a terroir and a moment.

The House of Jacquesson

In 1798, in Châlons-sur-Marne, the House of Jacquesson was founded by Claude Jacquesson and his son Memmie. The company grew rapidly, and in 1804, Memmie Jacquesson joined forces with his cousin François-Félix Juglar. During this period, Jacquesson champagne became a favorite of Napoleon, who awarded the founders a gold medal in 1810. In the 19th century, the company's rapid expansion was driven by Adolphe Jacquesson, an inspired director and visionary inventor.

In 1844, he revolutionized the world of champagne by patenting the muselet, the small wire still used today to hold the cork. Under his direction, the house reached one million bottles a year in 1867, and it was in his cellars that a certain Johann-Joseph Krug took up the post of cellar master, before founding his own house in 1843 with the support of the Jacquessons, thus linking the destinies of these two icons for eternity.

The estate changed hands several times until 1974, with the arrival of the Chiquet family. Under the impetus of Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet, the house underwent a radical change: the race for volume was over, and the two brothers concentrated on their vineyards in the Grands Crus and Premiers Crus to produce high-precision cuvées.

In December 2022, François Pinault acquired 100% of Jacquesson, making it part of a galaxy that already includes Château Latour, Clos de Tart and Bouchard Père & Fils.

Terroir and style of Jacquesson champagne

Today, the estate covers some 30 hectares, all in Premiers and Grands Crus, in two areas: the Grande Vallée de la Marne (Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers, Champillon) and the Côte des Blancs (Avize, Oiry). Vinification is carried out on a parcel-by-parcel basis, in old oak foudres, to preserve the personality of the wines without the aromatization of new wood. The house concentrates on champagnes with little or no dosage, to the delight of connoisseurs in search of champagnes that are, above all, great wines. Production is deliberately set at 350,000 bottles a year, a tiny number compared with the behemoths of Champagne, making Jacquesson a sought-after rarity.

Jacquesson cuvées

The Cuvée 700 series

The Jacquesson revolution. 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 Chiquet brothers. Constructed from a single year's harvest and supplemented by reserve wines that enhance complexity without disguising the character of the base year. Each edition is numbered and different from the previous one, a concept unparalleled throughout Champagne. Made only from the first press juices, vinified in foudres and almost always unfiltered, this is first and foremost a great Champagne wine.

Cuvée 700 Dégorgement Tardif (DT)

The"Dégorgement Tardif" version spends twice as many years in the cellar, giving it greater aromatic complexity. This cuvée also reveals greater maturity, without losing any of its freshness. These two facets of the 700 series have remarkable ageing potential, from 10 to 20 years. An invitation to discover the same cuvée at two different ages, two expressions of the same moment.

Les Lieux-Dits

A confidential collection of champagnes from exceptional plots: Avize Champ Caïn, Dizy Corne Bautray, Dizy Terres Rouges and Aÿ Vauzelle Terme. Selected from the estate's best vines and produced in very small quantities, these rare flasks offer the most precise and singular expression of the Jacquesson terroir. The house only produces them when the nature of the locality allows it, and when cuvée 700 can do without their grapes - an additional requirement that says everything about the house's state of mind.

Did you know?

In 1844, Adolphe Jacquesson patented the muselet the little wire and metal plate that holds the cork of every bottle of champagne around the world. Nearly two centuries later, every bottle of champagne uncorked, whatever the brand, pays an involuntary tribute to this Champagne inventor.

In 2024, the Revue du Vin de France ranked Jacquesson third best Champagne house, behind Krug and Roederer.