Jacquesson

History of Champagne Jacquesson

The history of Jacquesson is an epic novel, woven with triumphs, innovations and rebirths, making it one of the oldest independent houses of Champagne. It all begins in 1798 in Châlons-sur-Marne, when Claude Jacquesson and his son Memmie laid the foundations of the family enterprise. From the very outset, the house made a sensation: in 1810, Napoleon I awarded it a gold medal for the exceptional quality of its cellars carved into the hillside of Mont Saint-Michel, propelling Jacquesson wines to the rank of imperial favourites. These champagnes were swiftly exported abroad, marking a meteoric rise under the direction of Memmie, who associated himself in 1804 with his cousin François-Félix Juglar to boost production.

The nineteenth century proved eventful. In 1832, Adolphe Jacquesson, son of Memmie, joined the business and injected a dose of revolutionary ingenuity. A brilliant inventor, in 1844 he patented the muselet, that wire frame with a metal plate replacing the rotting hemp string, preventing leaks and popping corks. Adolphe did not stop there: he designed a bottle-rinsing machine and reflectors to illuminate the cellars, innovations that modernised production and brought the house to one million bottles annually by 1867. A notable anecdote: in 1834, Johann-Joseph Krug joined Jacquesson as director before founding his own house in 1843, with the support of the Jacquessons, thus linking the destinies of these two icons of Champagne.

But success has its setbacks. Financial difficulties and a succession crisis, compounded by the accidental deaths of Adolphe's sons, led to a guardianship in 1873 under three notables, including Eugène Juglar. The house then passed through several hands: in 1925, Léon de Tassigny acquired it, adding 11 hectares in Avize and Oiry. It was in 1974 that Jean Chiquet, winegrower and broker, bought Jacquesson from the de Tassigny family, marking the beginning of a revitalising family era. His sons, Jean-Hervé and Laurent, took the reins in 1988, imposing a traditionalist and demanding vision. They drastically reduced yields, from 450,000 to 250,000 bottles, to focus on single-vineyard cuvées, predominantly organic, and a vinous style where effervescence is merely an added asset. Their philosophy? "To reveal the most sincere expression of terroir, to make the best wine the year can offer." In December 2022, a new chapter opened with the acquisition by Artémis Domaines, the wine holding company of the Pinault family, led by Frédéric Engerer. Jean Garandeau, formerly of Krug, took over as director, while the Chiquet brothers retained a seat on the board. This transition preserves creative independence, allowing Jacquesson to shine as an icon of terroir wines, acclaimed by critics and sommeliers the world over.

Terroirs and Vines of Champagne Jacquesson

Terroir is at the heart of Jacquesson's identity: an exceptional vineyard spanning 28 to 30 hectares, spread across two emblematic regions of Champagne, for a diversity that magnifies the wines. In the Grande Vallée de la Marne, the house owns a Grand Cru in Aÿ and two Premiers Crus in Dizy and Hautvillers, on steep, chalky slopes facing east, south and south-west. These soils, rich in Campanian chalk, under a cool semi-continental climate (average temperature of 10°C at the 49th parallel), bestow upon the grapes a deep minerality and controlled vigour. Further south, in the Côte des Blancs, paradise of chardonnay, two Grands Crus in Avize and Oiry dominate, with due-south parcels on land where chalk comes to the surface, encouraging optimal ripeness and natural acidity.

These are complemented by Premiers Crus such as Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and targeted purchases (20% of production) from neighbouring growers in Chouilly (Grand Cru) and Cumières (Premier Cru), ensuring full traceability and direct delivery to the press. The grape varieties? A harmonious balance: approximately 50% chardonnay for elegance, 30% pinot noir for structure, and the remainder pinot meunier for richness. The vines, averaging 30 years of age, are tended using traditionalist methods: short pruning, mechanical ploughing or grassing between rows to limit vigour and reveal the mineral influence on the fruit. Treatments are predominantly organic, with no herbicides, rigorous de-budding and uncompromising sorting to retain only healthy, ripe grapes. Manual harvesting at ideal ripeness, the absolute priority of the Chiquet brothers — these practices transform the vineyard into a resilient ecosystem, capable of weathering climatic hazards. To buy a wine from this terroir is to treat yourself to the pure expression of Champagne: ancestral soils that imbue every cuvée with a unique identity, combining power and finesse for wines of exceptional longevity.

Vinifications of Champagne Jacquesson

The vinification at Jacquesson is a goldsmith's art, where each step honours the terroir and the vintage, yielding wines of remarkable purity. It all begins with manual harvesting, followed by ancestral vertical pressing: gentle and controlled, it limits the crushing of the grapes, thus extracting clear juices free from bitterness or excessive tannins from immature stalks and pips. Only the first press juices — the cuvées — are retained; the tailles (first 20 litres) and second juices are set aside or sold on, guaranteeing irreproachable quality. No chaptalization: the musts, settled by gravity without cold treatment, preserve their natural integrity.

Oak plays a pivotal role. The juices ferment in old foudres (500 litres) or demi-muids, materials that subtly oxygenate the wines without imparting aromas, encouraging harmonious breathing. Fermentations last 3 to 4 months, on fine lees regularly stirred, without filtration or fining to preserve complexity. The ageing is long and minimalist: until the next bottling for the blends, with a second fermentation in the bottle and ageing on lees that develops a creamy texture. The dosage, chosen blind between 0 and 5 g/l, peaks at extra-brut (1.5 to 3.5 g/l on average), underscoring the purity and ripeness of the grapes. This parcel-by-parcel approach, with each vineyard wine vinified separately, and the use of wood for controlled oxidation, confer upon Jacquesson Champagne wines a rare vinosity, an eternal freshness and an ageing potential of 10 to 20 years. For late disgorgements, the process is extended, amplifying tertiary aromas without altering their youthfulness.

The Cuvées of Champagne Jacquesson

Jacquesson cuvées are numbered jewels, where innovation rhymes with terroir: no fixed Brut Sans Année, but living expressions of the vintage, for wines that evolve from year to year.

The 700 series, the heart of production (96% of volumes), revolutionises the non-vintage: a blend of a base year (80%) and reserve wines (20%), drawn exclusively from Grands and Premiers Crus, first press juices. Vinified in foudres without filtration, aged 4 years on lees, disgorged between 3.5 and 4.5 years post-harvest, it offers an ever-changing, elegant, mineral, vinous profile, with an extra-brut dosage. The first, 728 (base 2000), laid the foundations.

Its D.T. version (Late Disgorgement), aged 8-9 years on lees, is exposed to oxidative shock for complex maturity: the 733 D.T. (base 2005, disgorged 2013) unfolds notes of ripe fruit, brioche and saline minerality — a treasure for connoisseurs.

The Lieux-Dits cuvées, produced in confidential quantities (4% of volume) and only in great vintages (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007-2009, 2015), celebrate parcel-level singularity. Dizy Corne Bautray (1 ha chardonnay, planted 1960): a precise, floral and iodine-tinged Blanc de Blancs, on chalky soils, aged 7-8 years. Avize Champ Caïn (1.3 ha chardonnay, 1962): mineral power and citrusy tension, from an emblematic Grand Cru. Aÿ Vauzelle Terme (0.75 ha pinot noir, 1980): muscular, dark-fruited and spiced, a structured Blanc de Noirs from the south-facing slope. Dizy Terres Rouges (1.33 ha pinot noir, 1993): intense saignée rosé, luscious and tannic, 100% pinot noir since 2007. These single-vineyard wines, dosed extra-brut or zero, offer an incomparable expression of terroir. 

Under the aegis of Artémis and the undiminished passion of the Chiquet teams, Jacquesson continues to write its legacy, inviting enthusiasts to discover bubbles where terroir sings and wine dances. Take advantage now of the best prices to acquire these effervescent treasures! Discover the other estates of the Champagne appellation such as Agrapart, Egly Ouriet, Larmandier Bernier, Agrapart, Laherte, Dehours, Ruppert Leroy, Françoise Bedel, R. Pouillon, Eric Rodez, Chartogne Taillet, Selosse, Jacques Lassaigne, Leclerc Briant, Bollinger, Roederer, Charles Heidsieck at Vins & Millésimes, which offers you the opportunity to buy online the finest bottles and magnums of wines and grands crus. All our wines are in stock and available for fast delivery! Discover the Jacquesson bottles and Magnums available for purchase!