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Wine Information
The wines were vinified in casks, on the lees, with regular bâtonnage and were then blended to produce Cuvée No 736. The 2008 harvest provides the backbone of the Cuvée; the reserve wines, mainly from the 2007 and 2006 harvests, with some of the Cuvée No 735 kept back specially for this purpose, make up 34 per cent of the total. With Avize and Oiry in the Côte des Blancs, and Ay, Dizy and Hautvillers in the Grande Vallée de la Marne, this Cuvée is firmly based on the Grands Crus and Premiers Crus of the Domaine, and comprises 53% chardonnay, 29% pinot noir, and 18% pinot meunier. No filtration was used at any time in the process of making Cuvée no 736. The total production was 252,992 bottles, 9,432 magnums and 346 jeroboams.
Every year in Champagne non-vintage blends are created using wines of the same vintage from many different parcels, to which are added the vins de réserve, wines from previous vintages which have been kept in cuves for several years. At Jacquesson, we believe that what matters is that the best of each harvest is accentuated and celebrated, rather than denying that one year is different to the next.
Thus, we number our Cuvées, to date them and to highlight the distinct personality of each Cuvée.
2008 started with a rather chilly and rainy spring, with numerous frosts. Fortunately, this was followed by a summer that was dry, but still quite cool and windy, yet without any major bouts of adverse weather. The cool summer weather interfered with flowering to some extent, and there were some outbreaks of oidium. Happily, though, the wind kept mildew and grey rot very much at bay. September was still cool, windy and rather dry, without very much sunshine. As in 2002, there was a relative shortage of really warm days throughout the growing period; however, the grapes ripened under excellent conditions, especially since our meticulous viticultural practice had been aimed at producing moderate yields. The musts were rich in
sugar, with excellent acidity, presaging wines of the highest quality.
The spring tastings confirmed our hopes. In fact, at Jacquesson, we tasted some of the greatest wines produced by our generation. Power, complexity, body and minerality were the just reward of two colliding factors: an exceptional vintage, and years of hard work spent perfecting our vine-growing and wine-making practices.