Champagne Extra-Brut, 735 Dég. Tardif, Jacquesson

Founded in 1798 by Memmie Jacquesson, this is a very old Champagne house. It was Memmie's son, Adolphe, who patented the famous corkscrew that prevents the corks from popping and who collaborated with Jules Guyot to improve the quality of the sparkling process. But the house owes its development and its current reputation to the dynamism of Laurent and Jean-Hervé Chiquet, who took over the property from their father in 1988.The originality of this house, which is considered as the smallest of the great Champagne houses, lies in its supply and in the elaboration of a very coherent range of wines articulated according to three distinct segments: the 700 and following; the same cuvée, but in late disgorgement (15 to 20,000 bottles are kept each year and marketed 5 years later) and the parcellaires (Avize Champ Caïn, Aÿ Vauzelle Terme, Dizy Terres Rouges) Jacquesson has 17 hectares in the Grande Vallée de la Marne, 11 hectares in the Côte des Blancs and completes its supplies by buying the equivalent of 7 hectares of grapes. An important detail: everything is pressed at Jacquesson and the grape suppliers share the same quality philosophy.