Château des Jacques - Moulin-à-Vent 2022

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.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

This cuvée is a blend of grapes from the estate’s eight vineyards within the appellation. With a lovely length and solid structure, it offers a richness and power that suggest it will age beautifully in the years to come.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2022 Moulin-à-Vent unfolds with aromas of blackcurrant, stewed blackberry, violet petals, candied bark, and subtle hints of sandalwood. On the palate, it is medium-bodied to full-bodied, featuring a dark core of fruit built around chalky tannins that steadily intensify and give way to a youthful, lingering finish. Will the tannins prevail?

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:

The blend’s composition offers a well-rounded profile, with the richness and depth characteristic of windmills. Still slightly tight, one can detect precise tannins that lend a full-bodied, velvety texture.

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.

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

Subtle aromas of grilled meat, redcurrant, black plum, black olive, and dried red cherry unfold on the nose. The palate is chalky, with hints of graphite, and is supported by firm tannins. Decant and drink now, but this still-young wine would benefit from bottle aging; open it starting in 2026 to experience it at its best.

Vinous

About the wine:

The Moulin-à-Vent 2022 offers a savory, briny bouquet, with notes of crushed oyster shells that infuse the dark fruit. The structure is delicate. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, with slightly velvety tannins; it is spicier than the Morgon, with a touch more liveliness and pepper on the finish. Very fine.

James Suckling

About the wine:

A mineral-driven, flavorful Moulin-a-Vent with aromas of wet stone, bark, strawberry, and rosemary. It is medium-bodied, fresh, and elegant with fine tannins. Excellent length. Ready to drink now or for aging.