It’s not true that Champagne goes to the head. Champagne, however, does. And it’s a synesthetic sensation of good living.
Sight. It captivates your eyes, the dazzling light, the white earth, the yellow rapeseed piercing expanses of lush green grass, on the profile of the Côtes, the “mountains” of Reims toward Epernay.
Smell. It captivates your nose: flowers, balms, fruit, citrus, caramel, apple, and salt: which has a fragrance, more than ever here, if you smell (and lick) that white earth you then find in the glass.
Taste. It captivates your mouth, with those shivers of fine-fine bubbles, rising and enveloping, the creamy, silky pleasure of drinking well and of sips that stand the test of time. They are light, but also profound. They are all the states of mind of synesthetic life.
Hearing. It grips your ears and veins, which are like strings, a music that sets the rhythm of your mood, not necessarily a happy one. There’s music, all the music in Champagne.
Touch. It grips you, the rough yet soft touch, hands in the earth, hands in bread and butter, hands caressing a vine shoot, low, as they say and do here, while the flower is budding, just a few days ago it was liquid, it was tears.
It grips you, or rather, it opens your mind, Champagne. A journey of the senses and the meaning of a region that is the history of wine: divine centuries, a journey—even when it’s of the sip-and-run variety—that is more than ever the contemporary synesthesia of Champagne.
Les Ateliers Mosaïque: A Journey to the Heart of Maison Jacquart’s Champagne
Champagne is social, but it’s also for individualists, even egotists. It’s chamber music and popular music, it’s classical and even rock, it’s blues at times, and at other times it’s slow. Introspection and lightheartedness. Opposites. It’s living. A “Champagne vivre,” a positive life, no matter what.
The sip-and-run trip, this time organized by Maison Jacquart, and it only took 48 hours to become an ambassador for one of the Champagne house in Reims, a place that captivates even just by peeking at it from behind the gate before you’ve even entered. When you find yourself there, with samples of “Champagne juice” to test and blend with the cellar master who guides you and makes you understand what a difficult and fascinating job she has: well, it’s at that moment that you understand that the gate truly did lead to a magical world.
The discovery was coordinated by the Italian distributor, Rinaldi 1957, who staged an event, “Les Ateliers Mosaïque,” capable of bringing to the heart and soul the Maison Champagne Jacquart, the fruit of a youthful and contemporary mission that looks at life with optimism and joy.
At the Maison, they define themselves as ambassadors of a more relaxed luxury in the world of Champagne. And so it is. It’s no coincidence that they let us taste the blends they tested with them while listening to music: every note from the glass and the piano contributes to the creation of a smile that will be, that will be, soon. The smile of a Jacquart Champagne. It’s not the first, nor the last time, that the Maison has embodied a style that intertwines complete sensory experiences. For Jacquart, music and Champagne are a thread that leads to a simultaneous understanding of these bubbles.
“Not just taste, but emotion: from jazz notes to movie nights, the world of sparkle in the glass meets performances and digital arts, and for Jacquart, it’s a trend. It’s no coincidence that, in addition to Reims and Hollywood, the Maison engages international audiences by participating in music festivals and events in Europe and the United States.”
Returning to the “cooperative” Maison, the vineyards selected for Jacquart span a mosaic of over 60 Crus, carefully tended by partner winemakers. This is why the Mosaique line is an active and dynamic narrative of Jacquart Champagne. The diversity of the vineyard plots, the focus on Chardonnay in the blends, and the extended aging of the wines aim to offer a contemporary, vertical, and elegant style; mission accomplished for these sparkling wines of enthusiasm, deeply rooted in art and, above all, music.
Formulas and rules to reach the desired goal: carefully selected grapes from 300 hectares for 60 Crus, where the vineyards cover all the most suitable areas of Champagne, are committed. The selection is 100% first-pressed must, with a minimum of three years of aging even for the base wines. To get to the point, Jacquart assembles a team of three winemakers, who see themselves and live as the custodians of the Maison’s style. A style by definition “unique and contemporary: fresh, elegant, and refined,” a magical blend of 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 25% Meunier, and 1/3 reserve wines. The dosage is light, creating a creamy bubbles: in a word, typical.
Thousands of pieces, an extraordinary mosaic
Maison Jacquart is a French Champagne house with its headquarters in Reims, “on the promenade” of all the great Maisons, in a historic building that looks like a movie script. Founded “only” in 1964 by a cooperative of winemakers that brings together “only” over 1,800 hectares of vineyards, one of the largest vineyards in the region, it is the Champagne house with a new, graceful style, thanks to fresh cuvées and a particular focus on Chardonnay, which are the foundation of these bubbles that wink at young people. And look ahead. Jacquart is a collection of talents, the winemakers who have come together, and it is a cooperative model where a union of winemakers cultivates their own vineyards: 1,800 members for 2,400 hectares of vines.
When you play with his vin clairs, tasting bases to assemble as happened to us, your eyes light up, just like those of a child in front of a Lego.
At the Maison, this is Joëlle Weiss, who joined the Jacquart winemaking team in March 2020. She oversees the blending of the cuvées, carefully balancing freshness, complexity, and recognizable style, but also, of course, adding her own touch, attentive to the tastes of others and young people. The winemaker grew up working in various wine regions, bringing with her influences from Southwest France and California, but it’s clear that here in Champagne she feels “at home.”
Her pride and expertise are expressed in this sentence:
“My philosophy, which is the foundation of my objective, is to combine the structure and roundness typical of white Burgundy with the depth and refinement of Jacquart’s flagship Champagne.” And after the first glass of Jacquart, you understand exactly what she means. Because the vast mosaic of Maison Jacquart Champagne is truly extraordinary.
In 1983, the Maison launched its first Vintage Blanc de Blancs, for the 1978 vintage, followed in 1986 by the creation of the Jacquart Expansion subsidiary, dedicated to marketing in France and abroad.
2009 marked a new chapter with the company’s relocation from 6 Rue de Mars in Reims to its new address, the Hôtel de Brimont.
In 2011, the “Mosaïque” style was defined, which became the Maison’s signature style. The 2005 Cuvée Alpha debuted in 2013, followed in 2017 by the 2010 Rosé version. Finally, in 2019, the first mono cru was presented, made with grapes from the village of Chouilly, from the 2014 harvest.
Champagne Jacquart is divided into three main lines, each expressing a clearly defined stylistic philosophy. The Mosaïque line, comprising five labels, embodies the Maison’s contemporary and accessible identity, offering an instantly pleasant and refreshing style. These Champagnes mature for three to five years and feature dosages ranging from 4 to 37 grams per liter.
Alongside the Mosaïque line, the Blanc de Blancs Vintage range stands out for its special focus on Chardonnay, with a selection using exclusively grapes from Grands Crus and Premier Crus; the first harvest dates back to 1978, a testament to the Maison’s extensive experience in single-varietal winemaking.
Finally, the Cuvée Alpha represents the Maison’s excellence and ambition: the cellar master selects the finest vintages to fully express the year’s characteristics, through a constantly evolving creative process that pursues stylistic perfection.
While we were having fun assembling the Champagne of the future, to better understand the Jacquart house’s vision of the multisensory future of sparkling wines, we put aside the proposed tasting sessions and here are our notes on some of the house’s labels:
Mosaïque Brut: three years on the lees, very delicate, perfect as an aperitif and with appetizers. Dosage around 9 g/l. It pays homage to the gracefulness of Champagne with this modern vision.
Mosaïque Extra Brut: four years on the lees, with low residual sugar (around 4 g/l), ideal as a Champagne throughout the meal. Charisma to be poured in the glass, a memorable méthode champenoise that becomes a “course” throughout the meal. Hassle-free.
Cuvée Alpha: at least eight years on the lees, it is the most representative in terms of elegance and harmony, with a dosage around 5 g/l. If it were a dress, it would be a formal one, the showpiece, an example of the Maison’s style and high elegance.
Blanc de Blancs: 100% Chardonnay, six years on the lees. The mineral notes stand out. Dosage approximately 7 g/l. It speaks to everyone, and especially to young people, with a musical rhythm that embodies the vision of the no-problem Champagne of today… and perhaps even of tomorrow.
