A few months ago, I introduced this “musgo” concept, which is essentially like leftovers piling up in your refrigerator; at some point, all those leftovers need to be either eaten or thrown away.
Well, there is a similar phenomenon when it comes to my wine writing. I am constantly taking notes on various tastings, random bottles of wine, and even a one-off rant here and there. They exist in the notes app on my phone (I learned writing my dissertation that hand-written notes no longer made any sense whatsoever), and they stay (and sometimes die) there, hoping to be published at some point.
Since moving to Houston over a decade ago now, I have been fortunate enough to be invited to wine tastings rather regularly. While it is not my preferred way to taste and evaluate wine, there are times when I feel like I simply have to go.
Just a few days after the Château d’Yquem tasting, I attended a tasting of several Beaujolais wines from Château des Jacques, a historic estate that dates back to 1924. The Burgundian négociant, Louis Jadot, purchased the brand in 1996 and today it includes 69 hectares (~160 acres) across three of the region’s ten crus and another 10 hectares (~23 acres) of Chardonnay at the Clos de Loyse in Chénas. The current winemaker at Château des Jacques, Julie Pitoiset, led us through six wonderful wines from the estate.
2023 Château des Jacques Clos de Loyse Chardonnay, Beaujolais, France: Retail $24. 100% Chardonnay. The Clos de Loyse is a walled, 10 hectare (23 acre), monopole (one owner) in the Beaujolais region of Chénas, just to the south of famed white regions Pouilly Fuissé and Macon. Even though it is completely within the Chénas appellation, it legally cannot be labeled as such; only red Beaujolais wines can carry the prestigious “cru” designation. Quite fruity with some tropical notes of mango and even banana. Mineral, even quite mineral and tart on the palate but there is also a lovely roundness that coats the mouth and lingers on a very long finish. There is not a ton of white Beaujolais out there (it’s only 2-4% of the entire production in the region), but this one is certainly worth finding. Excellent. 92 Points.
2022 Château des Jacques Fleurie, Beaujolais, France: Retail $35. 100% Gamay. The wines of Fleurie, often referred to as “The Queen of Beaujolais” are generally the easiest to drink young, as they are typically the lightest wines out of all the crus. The land owned by the Château is at a relatively high (400m) elevation with particularly poor soils. Traditional (non-carbonic) fermentation. Medium to maybe dark in color, and quite viscous in the glass, with considerable floral (duh) and mineral notes with loads of darker berries (blackberry, cassis) on the nose. Rich, but also relatively light on its feet with some spice and earth. Quite a complex wine with definitely some tannic grip on the finish. Lovely. Excellent. 91 Points.
2022 Château des Jacques Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, France: Retail $35. 100% Gamay. Flagship wine of the domaine, which is located in the town of Romanèche-Thorins, in Moulin-à-Vent. This is a blend of the eight different vineyard sites that the domaine owns in Moulin. Brilliant ruby in the glass, this wine is rich and glorious on the nose with more plum and cherry notes here. Much more fruit driven than mineral both in the glass and on the palate with brilliant acidity a bit more earth here with some silky tannins on the finish. This might need some time to settle down a bit, but this is really delicious right now. Outstanding. 93 Points.
2022 Château des Jacques Morgon, Beaujolais, France: Retail $33. 100% Gamay. A blend of fruit from three distinct areas within the Morgon Cru: Côte du Py, Bellevue, and Roche Noire. A bit darker here with more depth and darker, even black, fruit on the nose. The palate reveals the characteristic “Morgon power” with plenty of rich fruit and spice. Tannins, while certainly present on the finish, seem to be softer and mostly integrated. While Morgon is known for its power, I found this a bit more “tame” than the Moulin. Still, this is Excellent, and should age beautifully for at least a decade. Excellent. 92 Points.
2021 Château des Jacques Côte du Py, Beaujolais, France: Retail $47. 100% Gamay. Côte du Py is a single vineyard within Morgon, probably the most famous of all vineyards in Beaujolais. 2021 was a colder vintage, and as a result, this has a much more herbal (minty?) component even though it is 100% de-stemmed. A bit mineral, even with a heavy granite note, along with the predominantly red fruit component. Bright fruit, tartness, and glorious on the palate, with a balance that every wine geek strives to find. Whoa. While this wine challenges my conception of “Beaujolais” it also puts itself out there as a fantastic wine in its own right. Outstanding. 94 Points.
2021 Château des Jacques Moulin-à-Vent Clos de Rochegrès, Beaujolais, France: Retail $55. 100% Gamay. Another single vineyard designated wine, this one from Moulin-à-Vent. Quite bright with plenty of red fruit and touches of spice and minerality on the nose. The palate is also defined with some nice fruit, but there is also a subtle power to this wine, which builds through the midpalate, rendering it quite complex. There is also plenty of earth and touches of red flower. Again, I think this is too young as the acidity dominates. But whoa, this is quite good and should age well for at least another decade. Outstanding. 93 Points.
