Founded in 1798 and still pushing boundaries today, Jacquesson is one of the oldest and yet most innovative houses in Champagne. Its modern renaissance was kick-started by brothers Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet, who, in the early 2000s, pioneered the idea of a numbered nonvintage cuvée, freeing themselves from the constraint of consistency and permitting the pursuit of excellence instead, above all else. With that change came increased transparency: grape sources, disgorgement date, dosage and production volumes were displayed on the back label, affording consumers an insight into the wine that other champagne houses have since adopted. Around eighty per cent of the house’s needs are supplied by its vineyards, and the whole approach is much closer to that of the conscientious grower than the large négociant. Low yields, careful pressing, stringent selection, fermentation in large oak casks, prolonged lees ageing, minimal dosage, and the absence of fining, filtration and artificial cold stabilisation account for wines of spectacular vinosity, complexity and finesse.