Ployez-Jacquemart

The vibrant and striking Champagnes of Ployez-Jacquemart were a welcome surprise among the many tasted in recent months. Established in 1930 and now run by third generation winemaker Laurence Ployez, the family have their own vineyards in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages including their hometown of Ludes, Mailly-Champagne, Villedommange, and Vertus. These are supplemented with purchased grapes from longstanding contracts that have been in place for over 30 years, mainly in Grand Cru Chardonnay villages.Winemaking is meticulous, with only first press juice used in their wines. Following fermentation in a mix of tank and barrels, wines are aged nose-to-punt, or sur pointe, in lieu of being aged on their side. This approach provides the antioxidative and aging benefits of the lees while not allowing the wines to become too rich from the lees contact. Laurence is keen to express the various sites and vintage characteristics, so while the wines are aged between 4 and 12+ years on less, use of reserve wines is limited and sometimes not used at all. Similarly dosage is minimal averaging around 3-4 grams per litre.