Jacquesson Extra Brut Champagne Cuvée 744 NV

94 points William Kelley (The Wine Advocate): "Disgorged in February 2021 with 0.75 grams per liter dosage, the NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 744 is based on the 2016 vintage. Exhibiting complex aromas of orange oil, crisp stone fruit, fenugreek and subtle hints of yellow Chartreuse, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and seamless, with terrific depth at the core, lively acids and a pinpoint mousse. Simultaneously vivid but replete with sapid nuance, this new release throws into relief all the work the Jacquesson brothers have made in the vineyards and cellar over the last two decades. (1/31/22)"

94 points La Revue du Vin de France [Highest scoring wine in their blind tasting of 60 non-vintage bruts for their annual Champagne issue]: "At the summit of our selection...Bouquet of sour cherry, stone fruits, red fruit yogurt, with a great personality. This signature nose immediately projects us into the universe of Jacquesson's 700 series. We are therefore thinking of the 744 (base 2016). Magnificent intensity of flavors on a vinous and energetic palate, with a prolonged finish without any excess of power. A salty sensation persists for a long time ... Everything is perfectly done. As great a Champagne at home as an aperitif as at the table. (Dec 2021/Jan 2022)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The new release of Jacquesson 'Cuvée 744' Extra Brut from the Chiquet family is from the base year of 2016 and was disgorged in January of 2021. It was finished with a micro dosage of .75 grams per liter... The Chiquet brothers have moved away from giving exact cépages numbers for this bottling in more recent times, preferring to rather give a breakdown of which villages their fruit has come from in any given release. The general numbers are around fifty percent chardonnay, thirty percent pinot noir and twenty percent pinot meunier, but each year, this is adjusted depending on which grape variety have excelled in a given vintage. So the breakdown of the 744 is fifty-five percent from the communes of Aÿ, Dizy and Hautvillers and forty-five percent from Oiry and Avize, with a small percentage of reserve wines added to complete the blend. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a sophisticated blend of apple, fresh-baked bread, a complex base of soil tones, caraway seed, dried flowers and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with bright acids, fine focus and bounce, lovely mineral drive, elegant mousse and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. Though this is very low dosage this year, the style of the 2016 base, coupled with the nice foundation of reserve wines, gives it a relatively early drinkability that has not always been evident in past iterations of the Seven Series, some of which have demanded quite a bit of cellaring before they relax their acids. Though the 744 will age long and gracefully- and still has a serious spine of acidity, it seems likely to blossom a bit sooner than a few other recent iterations in this fine series and should start to drink well with only a modicum of bottle age. 2023-2050+. (Sep/Oct 2021)"

93 points Simon Field, MW (Decanter): "45% Chardonnay 35% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier. Despite its putative parentage of the balmy 2016 vintage, which makes up 70% of the blend, the Cuvée 744 bears all the Jacquesson hallmarks, namely encyclopaedic complexity, with tropical notes of guava and pineapple discreet behind the mealy, rich and yet wonderfully controlled mid-palate. Shard-like acidity runs through the ensemble and the finish is powerful and satisfying. Drinking Window: 2021-2027. (Jun 2021)"