NV Jacquesson Dizy Cuvee No 736

Based on vintage 2008 with 2007 and 2006 (totaling a third) in supporting roles, and 53% Chardonnay; 29% Pinot; 18% Meunier, the Jacquesson NV Extra Brut Cuvee 736 delivers a captivating performance in which prominent acidity, bone-dryness and underlying firmness that in lesser hands or from lesser material would come off as spare and austere, here instead blossom into an irresistibly mouthwatering wealth of scents of flavors. Lemon, grapefruit and white peach tinged with their pits and with pungent yeastiness are further allied with hickory nut bittersweetness, freshly milled cornmeal, mint, chalk, and brine both on the pungent nose and vibrant, gripping palate. Expansive yet productively tense and consummately refreshing, this finishes with cheek-pinching, salivary gland-milking intensity. It should prove rewarding to follow over at least the next 3-5 years, as well as from any subsequent disgorgements. Possessed of vines in a who’s-who of disparate Champagne villages supplemented by purchased fruit from a few equally renowned communes in which they do not have holdings, Laurent and Jean-Herve Chiquet have – particularly over the past decade – led their already successful house along some unusual not to mention unusually successful paths. Virtually all of their wines are bone-dry (and labeled “Extra Brut”) yet come off as admirably balanced, following cask fermentation and aging with malo-lactic transformation, and long stays in bottle pre-disgorgement. In lieu of a conventional non-vintage blend, there is a wine sequentially numbered (allegedly to coincide with the totality of cuvees in Jacquesson history), and dominated by as well as designed to express the character of a single vintage. The estate’s upper-tier (and alas, for those of us on any kind of budget, that’s spelled with a capital “U”) now features a trio of highly limited, vineyard-designated bottlings whose recently disgorged instantiations are already about as complex as young Champagne can be. I did not visit with the Chiquet brothers this year, and shall look forward to doing so – and to reporting on a wider range of their wines – next year. Importer:Vintage 59 Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-9218

I also tasted the NV Brut Cuvee No. 736, which Jean-Herve Chiquet disgorged ‘a la volee,’ which means the wine is not technically finished, hence the score in parentheses. The 736 is based on the 2008 vintage, a year that yielded pure, racy Champagnes built on energy and tension, a style I personally like quite a bit. The 736 presents incredible aromatic nuance and layers of finely sculpted, chiseled fruit. An intense, saline and citrus-laced finish rounds things out in style. This is shaping up to be a great 700-series Champagne from Jacquesson, perhaps the best yet. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023. I have to say, I was totally blown away by the wines I tasted with proprietor Jean-Herve Chiquet at Jacquesson this year. I can’t think of another estate in Champagne that has so successfully transformed itself in just a handful of years. Most Champagne fans are familiar with the house’s 700-series NV wines, which remain absolutely delicious, fairly priced and relatively easy to find. Over the last ten years so, Jacquesson has also stepped up their program of single-vineyard wines. Quantities are tiny and prices are high, but these are now some of the most compelling wines in the entire region. If you haven’t tasted the Jacquesson wines lately, you owe it to yourself to do so. Importer: Vintage 59 Imports, Washington DC; tel. (202) 966-9218

66% from the 2008 vintage and the balance reserve wines; 53% chardonnay, 29% pinot noir and 18% pinot meunier; disgorged December, 2012): Bright straw-yellow. Intense aromas of nectarine, pear skin, chamomile and toasty lees are enlivened by bitter citrus zest and mineral elements. Dense, seamless and powerful, with fresh pit fruit and candied orange flavors complicated by notes of anise and buttered toast. The mineral nuance comes back strong on the finish, which features a suave, expansive floral quality. This wine got a very low dosage of 1.5 grams per liter. Dec 2013, www.vinous.com