Grape: 100% Chardonnay

Jacques Lassaigne is a 4.7-hectare family vineyard located in Montgueux. The vineyards boast prime southeastern exposure and consist entirely of Chardonnay. The Montgueux vineyard sites were originally held for the Montrachet of Champagne and are located near the gates of Troyes—the former capital of Champagne. Emmanuel Lassaigne, Jacques’ son who now runs the vineyard, began working the vines in 1999, and made the bold decision to craft wines from individual parcels. The initial tank or barrel fermentations of all Emmanuel’s wine is carried out with only indigenous yeast. He introduces sulfur minimally at pressing to prevent oxidation, and then never adds any sulfur again.

While some champagne houses release a vintage cuvée only when conditions are what they deem best, Emmanuel makes a vintage cuvée every single year, to display the variation each year brings to the wines. He says the results often surprise even him, certain vintages he thought the wine was lackluster, but when he revisits that wine several years down the road he discovers the wine just needed time to come into its own and is in fact one of his favorites.