Tasted in Romanèche-Thorins with Cyril Chirouze, 23 February 2018.
Château des Jacques
47 Les Jacques
71570 Romanèche-Thorins
Tel: +33 3 85 35 51 64
www.chateau-des-jacques.fr
Cyril resting against his concrete ‘egg’ right with the new cement tanks – the same supplier as to Cheval Blanc – in the background. The updates began last year, but the amount being invested in the infrastructure here is in the millions – the outbuildings should be complete in May 2018, they hope that all the cuverie work will be completed before the harvest – here’s hoping for them that it’s not a very early vintage! Cyril say “All this work doesn’t mean that we want to interpret our gamay differently, but it’s now 20 years (1996) since Jadot acquired the property, and the renovation that is now underway should last us few more years!”
Cyril on 2017:
“2017 began quite idyllic – we had some concerns given the frost in the Côte d’Or and south Beaujolais – but we survived. We were very confident that all was done, and then the first hail ravaged all our crus – some parcels lost 95%. Then Côte du Py was hit by the second hailstorm – less bad than the first in Fleurie/MAV. We have wines in a similar esprit to 2015 but of-course the work between the hail and the harvest was to save what grapes we had. The key to this vintage was the triage and the vibrating table was essential. We finished with 17 hl/ha on average – since 2003 we haven’t seen such yields. I prefer to call it climate change, not global warming, because the weather and temperatures are becoming so variable.”
Cyril on 2016:
“A vintage that was complicated from the perspective of the weather – one part of our vines was hailed twice and we made no harvest there. The Morgon parcels varied between 20% and 70% lost to the hail. Still, in the end we made about 35 hl/ha on average – some areas zero, others with correct yields. We’re happy with what we harvested, some having a nicer balance than certain parcels in 2015. It seems for the moment that the wines are charming, very different to 2015, but structured and with good balance. One third of the vines are now in a Cordon Royat (or cordon with a spur) style of pruning which, I think, brought the fruit to an easier maturity. We have no village Fleurie in 2016.”
The wines…
The aromas are in a particular stage – only one was fully open and a couple of wines betray a little reductive accent – but chez Jadot you will not see any of these wines in the market for a couple of years – they know their work, and there are great wines here! I also see a much lighter hand with the vanilla versus the first year that I tasted here – the 2014s. There’s a hint of caramel in some wines but no vanilla – “We are working very well with Cadus and for me it’s about the origin of the wood, choosing the best wood, I’m less concerned about grain, of course the heating is important so there’s not too much vanilla – but it’s the origin that’s key I think!” A great set of wines in 2016.
We start with two whites. Elevage is the difference between these two labels – the Beaujolais all stainless-steel tank elevage with plenty of bourbe, whereas the Bourgogne has 50% elevage in barrel. It’s not systematic, it depends on the vintage, but there isn’t always a malo, but sometimes it’s 100% – rich vintages are less likely to have the malo. Probably mid July for bottling the first wines, the whites were done in November. The current commercial vintage is 2014, but for the parcel selection wines it’s 2012 and 2013. “2016 is a vintage with a lovely potential. The elevage is well underway.”
2016 Beaujolais Blanc Clos de Loyse
Vines in La Chapelle de Guinchay. There is granite here but it’s two metres down.
Open aroma with a depth of ripe yellow citrus. Good volume in the mouth, some layers of flavour following-up. A hint of mineral rigour in the mid and finish, but not enough to make this wine less tasty. Very nice with open flavour and a good finish.
2016 Bourgogne Blanc Clos de Loyse
A similar nose but despite the barrels actually more freshness and less fruited aroma. More mineral, more open a little more structural rigour, the barrel flavour and texture arriving in the middle. Long and quite complex finishing.
Les rouges:
2016 Morgon
Deep colour. Really a very powdery nose – not particularly appealing today. Round, a base of tannin really lots of flavour dimension and depth of flavour too. This has intensity and depth of super flavour. Excellent – the nose needs to get better though.
Also a nose with a little powder and practically a suggestion of reduction. Yes a little reduction, faint gas too – but really a super-wide panorama of flavour with fine texture – super dimension of finishing flavour too – this will be a brilliant wine.!
From 2 hectares of vines
The first nose that is singing – and it’s oh so good – deep dark, silken, perhaps rounded with a little barrel. Open complex and fresh – really a lovely clarity of flavour here – the oak is present but by the time it’s commercialized you will hardly notice. – Bravo!
2016 Moulin à Vent Clos du Grand Carquelin
Another tight nose. More compact, fresh, some growing intensity. A hint of reduction. Really the complexity is only starting to show as you progress through the wine – the mid and finishing flavours are opening and becoming more interesting. To wait for – but the finish is great!
This is clearly more open than the Carquelin though not vs La Roche – a nose that’s round and showing a little barrel caramel, it’s intriguing and shows a pure depth of fruit. Beautiful in the mouth – volume, openness, fine texture – the flavours still a little tight but this wine has it’s arms open – architectural but with no hard edges – it will be great. Grand vin!
2016 Moulin à Vent Clos de Rochgrès
Another modest nose – there is depth but not so much width. Lots of volume like the last – even tighter flavours with just a little more tannin. This more structural and tighter, almost more austere but potentially as good as the last – harder to say today.
Another quite narrow nose but this has an absolutely beautiful, almost airy, aromatic – yes! Extra energy – complex, open a wine that’s running in every direction – but the wine is also showing clarity of flavour, some floral, some mineral always open. Bravo – a baby wine, but still a great wine.