Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent 2003

The historic Château des Jacques estate, located in the village of Romanèche-Thorins in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, is widely recognized as the most prestigious estate in Beaujolais. It was purchased by Louis Jadot in 1996, at which time Maison Louis Jadot became the first Burgundy house to own a major Beaujolais vineyard. In 2001, Louis Jadot bought another well-located vineyard in Morgon. In 2008, both vineyards, which were under the same management, were regrouped under one identity: the Château des Jacques Estates. Château des Jacques’ practices have been attributed with revolutionizing the winemaking of Beaujolais. They have notably raised the bar, applying Burgundian methods of winemaking that were once traditional in the region. These include long macerations of one month, with pump-overs, to extract color, aroma and tannins from the fruit, as opposed to the regional norm of 10- to 12-day macerations. Wild yeasts are used for fermentation, and this is extended longer than is typical in Beaujolais. Aging in oak barrels is also unusual for the area; Château des Jacques’ wines are barrel aged for 10 months to lend complexity to the wines. The chateau's barrel cellar proves that its Beaujolais wines have always been vinified like wine from the Côte D’Or. These processes create wines that can take decades of bottle aging.