Cuvée 738, Jacquesson, Champagne, France, Champagne

2 questions to Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet

What is the cuvée 700 and why the odd name?

Our Cuvée 700 is the only blended wine we produce; it is meant to be the expression of a year and thus each year offers a different identity which we recognise by numbering the cuvée.

How do the vuvées 700 differ from the “non-vintage” Champagnes that one sees everywhere?

The Cuvée 700 concept is unique in Champagne and is the opposite of a non-vintage wine! We seek excellence rather than homogeneity, respect for the character of the vintage rather than its denial, and the preference to strive to produce a great wine rather than maintain a “house style”. The addition of reserve wines is designed to reinforce the complexity of the wine without hiding the character of the base year. Once we had set out on this path, it quickly became apparent to us that we could not also make a blended vintage wine because this could only harm the quality and purity of the Cuvée 700.

The cuvée 738

2010 Winter and spring were cold and dry, early summer was relatively fine but the end of the season was cool and wet. After sorting, the grapes presented were in good condition and produced fine, elegant, fresh wines especially in the Chardonnays. The final blend was 61% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Noir and 21% Pinot Meunier with reserve wines 33% of the total.