The so-called grower Champagne trend makes most people think of newish enterprises but Jacquesson, one of the most renowned, was founded in 1789. This coincided with the rise of the rude Corsican peasant Napoleon and true to form he is said to have visited Jacquesson regularly on his travels. What with his cologne buying in Bologna and all his other shopping it makes you wonder how he found time to amass an empire.
Anyway, the family has history, variously teaching the Krugs how to blend and researching how to stop so many bottles exploding in the cellar. Nowadays they are a small producer from Dizy making intense and beautifully balanced terroir wines that happen to be uncommonly good Champagne. (CW 20/08/18)