Tasted in Romanèche-Thorins with Julie Pitoiset, Alexandre Pipilis & Geneviève Bonifacio, 06 February 2023.
Château des Jacques
47 Les Jacques
71570 Romanèche-Thorins
Tel: +33 3 85 35 51 64
www.chateau-des-jacques.fr
More reports with Château des Jacques
As you may note from the image, there are some changes at Château des Jacques. Cyril Chirouze has moved on to a very important domaine in the Loire, so on this day I tasted with the (semi!) new team. Julie has taken on Cyril’s old rôle, Alexandre has been working on the technical side already for 10 years and Geneviève is responsible locally, for the commercial aspects of the domaine.
Cyril, last year, on 2021:
“Most of the frosted sectors can be pruned quite well but it needs more work – not like after the hail in 2016 and 2017, of course! This January was fine and cold – so, hopefully, we get to leave the winter and spring without more ‘events.’ The crus did not so bad – 33 hl/ha – and we don’t usually achieve 40 – though we did exactly that in 2020 – but the whites brought just 18 hl/ha. The last few years we’ve had a permanent rollercoaster of a rendement in this Clos though we have terroirs which show the effects of drought when they only have one month without rain.”
Julie’s take, this year:
“2021 was not too bad here, ~35 hl/ha. The whites were bottled March/April – the reds are planned for the summer.”
The wines…
Some impressive wines but on this day, few were fully open. Still, There are some obviously great wines – worth a special search – whereas others will need more time to show what they have. The domaine is now starting to offer some wines at a slightly younger age than was once the case…
DIAM for the whites. As is the politic of Jadot, some of the parts of both these white cuvées didn’t go through some, or all, of their malos to bring the freshness that they were looking for…
2021 Fleurie
A blend of Belair and Grille Midi – they are small parcels hence combined.
Plenty of colour. A tight nose but some good red berries. Mobile, lots of freshness but also no lack of density here – good concentration – some finishing bitters and a little salinity. Keep this for a couple of years there’s good material. The finish is already a good one…
2021 Moulin à Vent
8 different climats but the largest part comes from Rochegrès. About 2/3rds barrel elevage, very little new – the rest in concrete.
Extra energy – depth too – still not a large nose but a more than interesting one. More direct and saline – there’s some tannin but no grain – only a very faint dryness. Impressive finishing bitters – but nothing harsh. Yes, an impressive wine – but wait a couple of years for delicious!
2021 Morgon
3 origins, 50% of the total from Bellevue. Also Côte de Py and Corcelette the latter with destemming, part destemming and no destemming for elevage to compare but this is the blend of all.
Here is the pyrazine that was missing in the others but here’s a very nice floral that develops too. Hmm, that’s really rather nice in the mouth with some fluidity to the style but a more overt tannin too – just a little dryness in this case.
2021 Morgon Côte du Py
Have mainly 2 parcels, one next to the Javernières of Desvignes and another more east-facing – ‘it’s the vintage that determines how they are blended…’
Here’s a little reduction but no pyrazine – becoming floral again with more air. Direct, extra silky, very classy wine – growing in intensity. A wine to wait for but what a juicy and growing width of finishing flavour. It’s certainly an excellent one.
2021 Moulin à Vent Clos du Grand Carquelin
Also a faintly reductive start – firework reduction here. Finer tannin here – the wine presents a width of flavour instead of the more direct approach of the Côte du Py. A width of slow-moving waves of finishing flavour. That’s also a very excellent wine.
The word Thorins sharing the same roots as Teurons – Romanée-Teurons here, potentially!
The first with no starting reduction – it’s a beautifull floral perfume. Slowly adding some tobacco too. Very fluid, slightly grained but involving tannin – this is a great one.
2021 Moulin à Vent La Roche
From 2 hectares of vines
A more generous and rounder aromatic. A mix of new and old oak plus concrete egg elevage. Mouth-filling – an extra density but far less open and approachable vs the Thorins. There’s depth and concentration in the finish too – that has tons of potential.
2021 Moulin à Vent Clos de Rochgrès
A small amount of whole-cluster in this one.
Also a nose of some generosity of shape and density – but still guarding its complexity. Supple, mobile, concentrated flavour. Impressive weight of finishing flavour too – but this is slightly inscrutable – like La Roche – it probably has everything, it just doesn’t want to share today. With more air, some tobacco and some chocolate, maybe dark chocolate bitters. Yes – there’s more here!
Fourth time vinified separately, only 0.2 ha or 3-4 barrels – ‘We’re closer to the rock here, yet the granitic sand seems also richer, the vines look completely different here when it’s very dry.’ One-third whole cluster for these 1940s vines – all done by hand as the cuvée is so small.
A roundness and density of aroma, modestly framed with spice. This starts ultra-silky – more direct and mineral too – a wine of sweeping shape and beautiful proportions – there’s a fine grain of tannin but it probably won’t hang around for more than a couple of years. That’s potentially great wine.
2021 IGP Syrah des Jacques
IGP – In the sector of Moulin à Vent but obviously not with that label. Just 7 years old vines. Some concrete ‘egg’ elevage now too. Harvested 1st October.
Also a slightly compact nose – some complexity in the depth – there’s some perfume but it’s clearly a different perfume. Mouth-filling but the direction of the flavour is forward – again with a fine, almost discrete tannin – no dryness – except deep in the finish where it holds well with the flavour. Perhaps a little more open than the previous wines – bit only a little.
Les Whites:
2021 Beaujolais Blanc Clos de Loyse
All stainless – about half the malo blocked.
A good freshness and fine clean, cool minerality too – more a mix of florals than fruit to start. Mouth-filling, citrus and growing in intensity – not with rigour. It’s very good but I’m just looking for a little extra deliciousness.
2021 Bourgogne Blanc Clos de Loyse
Same provenance, the Clos de Loyse has been part of the domaine since at least the 1930s. The same wine with barrel elevage and some tank elevage.
A narrower but deeper nose – possibly sweeter too – but no extra energy. Rounder, perhaps finer textured – certainly a little more generous. I don’t taste the wood – per se – but I have a more delicious wine in the glass!