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| September
2007
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Champagne
: a Photo Journal |
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Champagne
Jacquesson was
founded in 1798 by Memmie Jacquesson and today stakes a claim
as the oldest independent Champagne house. In
1974 it was purchased by the Chiquet family, and Jacquesson
is now run by brothers Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet,
who oversee the vineyards and day-to-day running of the winery.
The champagnes of the
House became favorites of Napoleon, and accompanied him on
several of his campaigns and were served at his wedding to
the Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria.
A Jacquesson invention, the muselet, which is used to hold
the corks in place on all champagne and sparkling wine bottles
was patented by Adolphe Jacquesson in 1844.
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| The
House vineyards totalling 26 hectares in the Grand Cru villages
of Aÿ, Avize and Oiry and in the Premier Cru villages of
Hautvillers, Dizy and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. These are augmented
by another 15 hectares coming from growers in these same villages
as well as in the Grand Cru village of Chouilly and the Premier
Cru village of Cumières. Above right, Jean-Hervé
Chiquet describes their harvest methods. |
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| Jacquesson
uses vertical presses, otherwise known as the ‘traditional’
presses : their configuration reduces the movement of the bunches
during pressing allowing them to obtain juice that is finer,
less colored and perfectly clear. This purity in turn apparently
leads to a very gentle sedimentation process at cellar temperature
without the need for addition of enzymes. Below, clean-up is
ever-present. |
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| The
musts are fermented either in oak casks or in steel tanks according
to the provenance of the grapes. The
casks hold between 20 and 75 hectolitres.
Dosage is kept to a minimum; in fact, all the vintage wines
can technically be classified as extra-brut. |
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| September
2007
|
Champagne
: a Photo Journal |
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