Château des Jacques - Moulin-à-Vent La Rochelle 2015

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

A well-rounded wine that combines all the qualities of its neighbors: elegance, power, and delicacy. Very smooth on the palate. Pure class.

About the estate:

The estate, owned by Louis Jadot of Beaune but managed independently, has grown significantly since its acquisition in 1996. The vineyard spans 90 hectares, primarily consisting of Moulin-à-Vent, a region in which it is a leading specialist. It owns plots in the finest areas, such as Rochegrès, La Roche, Carquelins, and, more recently, La Rochelle. Cyril Chirouze continues the tradition of excellence established more than fifteen years ago.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

Is the 2018 vintage the finest wine produced to date at Château des Jacques under Jadot’s leadership? That is certainly the question I asked myself while tasting these new releases, and Cyril Chirouze and his team deserve the warmest praise for what they have accomplished. When Jadot acquired this vast historic estate in 1996, the winemaking process was reimagined with a Burgundian focus, introducing destemming, long macerations, new oak, and extended aging. To my palate, the oak component of the wines was sometimes too pronounced, even with bottle aging; and that is why these 2018s stand out: they are quite simply the best-integrated wines I have tasted from Château des Jacques between 1996 and today. Deep, concentrated, and elegantly robust—after all, 2018 was a hot year—these are serious wines, built for the cellar, and I am truly very optimistic about their future. All the wines reviewed here come highly recommended.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

This juicy wine offers a beautiful fruitiness, accentuated by elegant oak notes. The palate is velvety and silky, showcasing a lovely body without being excessive. The structure remains easy to drink, and the wine finishes with a crisp, taut finish.

About the estate:

Since its acquisition in 1996 by the Beaune-based Louis Jadot, the estate has fully embraced its identity, and “Les Jacques” has emerged as a model of a Beaujolais wine with aging potential, while continuing to draw on Burgundian methods. Following the era of Guillaume de Castelnau (director from 2000 to 2014), Pierre-Henri Gagey handed the reins in 2016 to Cyril Chirouze, an agricultural engineer and oenologist who had worked as a winemaker there between 2007 and 2013. The single-vineyard cuvées require a minimum of five years of aging to fully express the identity of their terroir. It is clear that the transition to organic farming and the construction of the new winery have marked a new milestone in the definition of the wines. We will be following this progress closely.