Château des Jacques - Moulin-à-Vent La Roche 2021

Bettane & Desseauve

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 planted with Moulin-à-Vent, a variety in which the estate is a leading specialist. It owns plots in the finest terroirs, such as Rochegrès, La Roche, Carquelins, and, more recently, La Rochelle. Cyril Chirouze continues the tradition of excellence established over 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:

Despite the challenges of the vintage, La Roche retains its status as a great terroir. Initially marked by mineral notes, subtle hints of flowers and sweet spices gradually emerge. Thanks to the precision of the winemaking and aging process, it will age gracefully for at least 20 years.

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 established itself as a benchmark for age-worthy Beaujolais, while continuing to draw on Burgundian winemaking methods. Following the era of Guillaume de Castelnau (director from 2000 to 2014), Pierre-Henri Gagey handed the reins over 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 enabled the estate to reach a new milestone in defining its wines. We will be closely following this progress.