Champagne Sec from Jean Vesselle is made from 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, sourced from approximately 30-40-year-old vines. The wine mainly comes from a younger vintage, blended with 10% older wines that the company stores in its cellars. The wine is bottle-fermented for 2 ½-3 years and “dosed” with 20 g of sugar per liter (a classic Brut Champagne is dosed with between 5 and 15 g of sugar per liter).
Champagne Sec is a structured wine with a balanced sweetness. The aroma reveals open fruity notes, harmonizing nicely with hints of rye bread. The taste showcases Vesselle’s classic, delicate, and subtle character, which, despite the wine’s sweetness, also offers freshness and finesse.
It is a classic sweet Champagne, ideal for receptions or with a not-too-sweet dessert, such as fruit salad, fruit tart, or sorbet.
Compared to the millions of bottles produced annually by large champagne houses, Jean Vesselle’s annual production of approximately 100,000 bottles is modest. As the saying goes, “less can be more,” and among champagne connoisseurs, the family-owned Jean Vesselle is considered one of the most skilled “Récoltants-manipulants,” a producer who vinifies the grapes they grow, rather than selling them to a larger company.
Located in the town of Bouzy, which is particularly known for the excellent quality of its Pinot Noir grapes, Jean Vesselle was primarily known until the early 20th century for producing outstanding red wines from Pinot Noir, while the other grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, were sold to larger producers.
Like many other Champagne producers, Vesselle saw all of its vineyards that had survived the Phylloxera vine pest in the late 1800s destroyed by the First World War battles. The vineyards were rebuilt in 1921, but the economic situation made it impossible to sell the grapes, so Jean Vesselle’s grandfather began making champagne himself. Jean’s father continued to produce champagne but sold about 30-60% of the grapes, and only when Jean took over the business was it decided to use the entire grape production, which has been the practice ever since.
Since Jean’s death in the mid-1990s, his daughter Delphine and her husband David have been at the helm. With great skill, they have developed Champagne Jean Vesselle, and their champagnes are highly regarded in many circles and offer great value for money. The company’s current 15 hectares of vineyards are exclusively planted with Pinot Noir (90%) and Chardonnay.
