Winemaker Notes
The fruit of Jacquesson labors was a crop of healthy, mature grapes with particular mention for the Pinot Noirs which were super successful. Reserve wines from previous 700 Cuvées complete the blend.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The upcoming release, the bright straw-hued NV Champagne Cuvee 744 Disgorgement Tardif Extra Brut is from a 2016 base and was disgorged in February 2025. It will be released next year. I love the nose of this cuvée, which is more classical and pretty, featuring a more elegant style with notes of fresh pastry, a creamy, chalky texture, and refreshing citrus, with more lemon oils and fresh Meyer lemon, as well as white fruits. (Again, the Chardonnay takes the lead here.) I prefer the energy this cuvée brings, and it has considerable potential for aging while retaining its freshness. Over the long haul, I believe the 744 will be the wine that ages very slowly, but I also love the black fruits and power that the 743 expresses now. Both will be highly compelling in the years to come, with the 744 pairing beautifully with a fish course and the 743 with red meat or duck. Rating: 96+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in February 2021 with 0.75 grams per liter dosage, the NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 744 is based on the 2016 vintage. Exhibiting complex aromas of orange oil, crisp stone fruit, fenugreek and subtle hints of yellow Chartreuse, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and seamless, with terrific depth at the core, lively acids and a pinpoint mousse. Simultaneously vivid but replete with sapid nuance, this new release throws into relief all the work the Jacquesson brothers have made in the vineyards and cellar over the last two decades. Best after 2021.
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James Suckling
A tangy and intense Champagne with apricots and biscuits and orange-like acidity. Full-bodied with depth and verticality that takes you deep down the palate. Electric finish. Very dry at the end with lovely bitterness. Baked apples. 0.75 g/L dosage. . Based on 2016. 45% chardonnay, 35% pinot noir and 20% pinot meunier.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’