Winegrowers’ portraits Faverolles et Coëmy
Owner of the chateaus Cos d’Estournel and Marbuzet in Bordeaux, Michel Reybier associated in 2013 with Nicolas Dubois through Domaines Jeeper. This financial consolidation enabled the house Jeeper to acquire lustre thanks to the creation of the range Premium. The latter has been presented in all the great European trade shows: London Wine Fair, Prowein and Vinitaly, where it won medals and aroused the interest of the professionals.
Everything has been done, Alain Bergeot, Jeeper sales and development manager, explains, “to assure continued existence to this new line of products and make it exclusive. It is presented in a bottle dedicated to the brand, with a very fine neck to limit the wine-oxygen exchanges and give it extra ageing capacity. It has a round and elegant shoulder that highlights the breadth of the wine. The packaging is modern and soigné. The labels display vivid colours, an embossed gold brand and blason, signs of an intrinsic distinction”.
Beautiful bottle but also high quality of the wine. The new associate of Champagne Jeeper is very demanding about this. Nicolas Dubois, known as a great wine grower, sees to it. He integrated in his staff the whole viticultural team. He seeks the balance in the tension, likes persistent but non-aggressive wines, without bitterness nor astringency. Therefore all the white cuvées mature in Burgundy barrels to get the aromatic concentration by evaporation, a touch of vanilla on the Chardonnay in the aftertaste. Since the acquisition of Champagne Jeeper, whose supply was at 80% Chardonnay, the house’s vineyard has also been reorganised and balanced between the three grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Its new cuvées reflect the house’s terroir, its is part of them. Grand Assemblage combines the three grape varieties, is round, supple, exudes scents of ripe yellow-fleshed fruits, and is easy to drink for the aperitif. The Blanc de Blancs Grande Réserve mingles the Chardonnays from the Mountain of Reims, the Côte des Blancs and the area of Vitryat, and proves to be precise, mineral and flowery. Grand Rosé is made with the basis of the Blanc de Blancs (88%) and blended with the house’s red wine, it has a frank taste of strawberry and evolves towards black cherry. Really appetizing, these new cuvées will be proposed for Christmas in festive cases. Not marketed yet, Cuvée Naturelle certified organic, should delight the purists by its minerality. To come, a Premier Cruand a vintage Jeeper, which demand longer ageing. Thus the collection will consist of six cuvées, all emotions reserved for the traditional distribution, reinforced by a luxury presentation in boxes of 6 bottles placed the one near the other instead of superimposed.
Nicolas Dubois explaining his beautiful vineyard of the valley of the Ardre.
This new range is demanding. It benefits from a new bottling and packaging line with digital non-conformity control, it has recently been installed in special buildings under ISO standard in Faverolles-et-Coëmy.
Nicolas Dubois “is glad of the arrival of his new associate. This important character of the wine world made me gain ten years and enables him to satisfy his real passion: produce beautiful grapes and beautiful wines. He is a serious support to build in the continuity.” Nicolas Dubois’ dream is to build up a vineyard of good dimension. In summer 2014, the Domains Jeeper gather 35 ha out of which 3 ha of Grand Crus recently acquired.
By writting his name in full Michel Reybier on the labels of the bottles of the Premier Cru Champagnes made by Nicolas Dubois with 80% of Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, and distributed with Cos d’Etournel, the associate known to be a “man in the shadow” aims high and far, and implicitly states that he wants to build with Jeeper a solid and sustainable brand!
Marie-Caroline Bourrellis
Champagne Jeeper
3, rue de Savigny • BP 64
51170 Faverolles et Coëmy
Tél. : +33 (0)3 26 05 08 98