Aromas of wild berries, brioche, grapefruit, salted nuts and hints of ginger from this delightfully complex Champagne. It’s dry and well structured on the palate, with bright acidity and tight bubbles. Spicy at the end. Based on 2020. 2 g/L dosage. Disgorged November 2024. Drink now or hold.

The NV Champagne Cuvée 748 is a preview of this wine that has not yet been released and was disgorged just prior to tasting. Sourced from four single plots, predominantly from the 2020 vintage, it will be released next year. It’s expressive, forward, and mineral on the nose, with a vibrant sensibility at this youthful stage, offering notes of fresh red berries, wet, chalky earth, and toasted shortbread. It boasts a linear intensity, with a coiled and nervous energy at this early stage and has a long finish, with its citrus-noted fruit lasting long after the wine is gone. It will be exciting to see this as it fleshes out with another few months to a year or more in bottle. So mouthwatering and salty, with electric energy, it‘s joyful and pleasing as it opens, but it has a way to go before its ready.

Jacquesson's NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 748 (base 2020), the 20th anniversary of this bottling, is gorgeous. Dried pear, crushed flowers, mint, chamomile and spice all grace the palate. The No. 748 is not quite as austere as some recent releases in this series, which means it will drink quite well right out of the gate. Floral notes lift the finish, adding precision and energy. The No. 748 is one of the most elegant and refined editions of this wine I can remember tasting. Dosage is 2 grams per liter. Disgorged: August 2024. - Antonio Galloni