NV Jacquesson et Fils - Brut Cuvee 748

The current release on the market, which I reviewed last year, is the NV Champagne Cuvee 748 Extra Brut, with a 2020 base, comprising 60% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, and the remainder Meunier. Every year they decrease the Meunier and increase the Pinot Noir. Disgorged in July 2024, with a 2 gram per liter dosage, it’s a rich straw color and is medium to full-bodied, with a good deal of intensity and savory character. I love that they capture a balance of savory and delicate vinosity, but the fruitiness shines in this 700 range cuvée. Even though the spirit of Chardonnay still shines in it, the black fruits of the Pinot Noir also shone brightly at this tasting. It has a bold but elegant feel, with a pillowy mousse and salinity. Drink 2025-2040.

The NV Champagne Cuvée 748 is a preview of this wine that has not yet been released and was disgorged just prior to tasting. Sourced from four single plots, predominantly from the 2020 vintage, it will be released next year. It’s expressive, forward, and mineral on the nose, with a vibrant sensibility at this youthful stage, offering notes of fresh red berries, wet, chalky earth, and toasted shortbread. It boasts a linear intensity, with a coiled and nervous energy at this early stage and has a long finish, with its citrus-noted fruit lasting long after the wine is gone. It will be exciting to see this as it fleshes out with another few months to a year or more in bottle. So mouthwatering and salty, with electric energy, it‘s joyful and pleasing as it opens, but it has a way to go before its ready.