2012 Champagne Jacquart Blanc de Blancs (with gift box)

The colour is light-straw and the bouquet is fresh crisp and complex, with some toasty background to the lemon citrus and meringue, nutty, nougat flavours and aromas. The palate is tight and refined, intense and very long. The line of the wine is quite excellent and the overall style and balance are superb. The finish is very dry, assisted by a slight phenolic grip, all in harmony. A superb blanc de blancs.

‘Freshness, minerality, chalk, creaminess, ampleness and richness’ are the diverse aspirations for Jacquart’s Blanc de Blancs, and 2012 meets this ambitious brief more confidently than any before it. This was the first great season since Florian Eznack joined the house, and this cuvée resoundingly proclaims her elegant yet confident touch. Sourcing is adjusted according to the season, always from the Montagne de Reims or the Côte des Blancs; in 2012 a union of grand and premier crus from both, seamlessly uniting the generosity of Aÿ, Hautvillers, Villers-Marmery and Vertus with the tension and focus of Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Bright lemon and succulent white peach fruit are generously underscored by the almond nougat and cream of five years of lees age, uniting seamless and poised on a finish of great line and length. The mineral signature of Avize and Le Mesnil are pronounced, deeply chalky and finely mineral, charging the finish with great freshness and finesse. A little jump