Jacquesson, Cuvée 734 DT, Champagne, France

Based in Dizy the Chiquet brothers (a Jean-Herve and Laurent) are dedicated Champagne ‘terrroiristes’, who invariably seek to express the full personality of the vintage and their specific soils. They are also arch traditionalists who like to vinify in old oak demi muids (500L) ‘to allow the wine to breathe’. The Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee 734 DT (Degorgment Tardif) is based on the 2006 vintage in which 15,000 bottles were held back and received an extra four years lees ageing (eight in total) before release. This is bone dry and ripples with austere, mineral extract. En bouche, there’s also lithe pear skin, toast and great savoury intensity. Just beginning to open up, this is a beguilingly distinctive and seriously complex vin de garde.