We’re lucky to have access to so many fantastic sparkling wines and champagnes in New Zealand, but we don’t see too many examples of “Récoltant-Manipulant” or grower champagnes, here. Since they don't have a big marketing budget like the big Champagne brands, you really have to seek them out. Jean Josselin is a wonderful Récoltant-Manipulant based in the southern part of the Champagne region, producing a small quantity of Champagnes in different styles from grapes grown in their family-owned vineyards.
The Josselin family have been winegrowers since 1854 when they acquired their first vineyard at Gyé-sur-Seine. Jean Josselin built up his vineyards amongst the best slopes on a few plots of land inherited from his ancestors, with evocative place names such as Beauregard, Davasgné and Cosvigne. In 1957, Jean Josselin created his own Champagne brand, the one we know today.
The village of Gyé-sur-Seine is in the southern part of the Champagne region, in the heart of the Seine Valley, south of Côte des Bar, located 150km from Épernay and 200km from Reims. It’s much closer to Chablis than the rest of the Champagne region and shares similar calcareous soil, Kimmeridgian, with the Chablis region.
The family cultivates 14 parcels of vines over 11.7 ha, with Pinot Noir being the feature, comprising 80% of the plantings, the rest equally divided between Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The vines average 30 years old. The Josselin family produces two tiers of small volume Champagne, ‘The Traditionals’ and ‘The Exceptional’. You can read more about Jean Josselin Champagne at www.champagnejeanjosselin.fr.
Jean Josselin Champagne is distributed in New Zealand by Three French Vines: www.threefrenchvines.com. Below you can find my review of the Jean Josselin Audace Rosé Extra Brut NV.
