Jacques LASSAIGNE 'Le Cotet' Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV

Jacques LASSAIGNE 'Le Cotet' Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV

Jacques Lassaigne ‘Le Cotet’ Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV is a single-vineyard Champagne from Montgueux, near Troyes in the Aube. Made from 100% Chardonnay and released without dosage, it is a precise, chalky and saline Blanc de Blancs that expresses the pure mineral character of one of Champagne’s most distinctive terroirs.

Technical Details

• Producer: Jacques Lassaigne, Montgueux, Aube, Champagne, France

• Wine: Champagne AOC, Cuvée Le Cotet Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

• Vintage: Non-vintage

• Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay

• Vineyard: Le Cotet, a single lieu-dit in Montgueux

• Vineyard size: 0.6 hectares

• Vine age: Approximately 40–50 years

• Soil: Thin topsoil over chalk bedrock

• Vineyard aspect: Eastern-facing hillside

• Harvest: Hand-harvested

• Fermentation: Mostly stainless steel, with a portion in 228-litre oak barrels

• Malolactic fermentation: Completed

• Ageing: 12–24 months in barrel, followed by extended ageing on lees in bottle

• Dosage: 0 g/l; labelled Extra Brut

• Disgorgement: By hand, without added sulphur

• Alcohol: Approximately 12–13.5% depending on release

• Bottle size: 750 ml

• Critic score: 94/100 — William Kelley, Wine Advocate

• Serving temperature: 8–10°C

The Producer

Jacques Lassaigne is a small grower-producer based in Montgueux, a chalky hillside appellation located to the west of Troyes in the Aube. The estate is known for low-intervention winemaking, meticulous vineyard work and Champagnes that emphasize freshness, minerality and terroir transparency.

The house works without fining or filtration, uses minimal sulphur, ferments in a combination of stainless steel and used oak, and disgorges its wines by hand. Le Cotet is one of its flagship single-vineyard cuvées and reflects this uncompromising, grower-led approach.

Vineyard and Terroir

Le Cotet is a small, east-facing parcel in Montgueux, planted with old Chardonnay vines whose roots reach deep into chalk. The vineyard lies in the lower part of the slope, close to the Lassaigne winery, where the topsoil is exceptionally thin—sometimes only around 15 centimetres—over limestone bedrock.

This poor, chalk-dominated terroir gives the wine its defining tension: citrus-driven fruit, saline minerality and a firm, crystalline structure. Montgueux is often described as an island of chalk within the Aube, and Le Cotet is one of its most compelling expressions.

Winemaking and Ageing

The Chardonnay is hand-harvested at full ripeness, destemmed and gently pressed. Fermentation takes place largely in stainless steel, with a smaller proportion aged in 228-litre barrels; malolactic fermentation is completed.

The non-vintage blend is built from a recent base vintage, complemented by older reserve wines, including a portion of previously disgorged Champagne returned to tank. The wine then spends an extended period on lees before being hand-disgorged without dosage and without added sulphur at disgorgement.

Tasting Profile

Le Cotet opens with aromas of green apple, nashi pear, lemon oil, citrus zest, toasted nuts and subtle pastry notes. A restrained reductive character is part of its youthful profile and gradually opens with aeration, revealing chalk, iodine and delicate floral nuances.

On the palate, the wine is medium- to full-bodied, taut and textural, with ripe orchard fruit, tangy citrus and a pronounced chalky minerality. Its acidity is vibrant rather than aggressive, leading to a long, saline and persistent finish.

Aroma and flavour: green apple, pear, lemon zest, citrus oil, toasted nuts, pastry, chalk, iodine and subtle floral notes.

Palate: precise, mineral and saline, with a crystalline fruit core, firm acidity, fine texture and exceptional length.

Style: a bone-dry, terroir-driven grower Champagne—pure, energetic and complex, with the tension and depth typical of old-vine Chardonnay on chalk.

Drinking Window

Le Cotet is released with significant bottle age and can be enjoyed on release, although it benefits greatly from air. Its reductive, tightly wound character means it is often markedly better after an hour or more in the glass or decanter.

With its zero-dosage profile, old vines and mineral structure, the wine has the balance to develop for a decade or more under good cellar conditions. Recent releases have been disgorged à la volée, without added sulphur, so careful storage away from heat and light is particularly important.

Food Pairing

Serve at 8–10°C with oysters, raw shellfish, sea urchin, langoustines, crab, sushi and sashimi. Its saline finish and citrus precision also make it excellent with grilled fish, white asparagus, poultry in cream sauce, and young or lightly aged goat’s cheese.

For a more contemplative pairing, serve it alongside aged Comté, Beaufort or a delicate truffle dish, allowing its nutty, chalky complexity to come forward.

Critical Recognition

William Kelley of Wine Advocate awarded the NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Cotet 94 points, describing aromas of toasted nuts, crisp stone fruit, citrus oil and youthful reduction, with a fleshy, textural palate, tangy acidity and a long saline finish.

Jancis Robinson has also praised the cuvée’s complexity and tangy character, noting that its blend of Chardonnay vintages makes it especially rewarding for committed Champagne lovers.

Collector Note

This is a rare, single-vineyard, zero-dosage Champagne from a highly regarded grower-producer. Its small production, old vines, hand disgorgement and no-added-sulphur approach make each release distinctive, while its chalky Montgueux terroir gives it a clear identity within the world of Blanc de Blancs.

Recommended serving: open and decant for 45–90 minutes before serving at 8–10°C; use a white-wine glass or a slightly narrower Champagne glass to preserve its fine mousse and aromatic precision.