Château des Jacques

It all begins with the relationship between a soil and a vine. The life of that soil must be nurtured as it will transmit its life force to the vine. The life force of the vine, in turn, must also be nurtured, as it returns that life to the soil.

Each parcel of vines is different. They differ in their history, the precise geology from which they derive so much of their character, their location, the age of each individual vine contained within them, the way in which they have been managed by the grape grower... Because of these differences, they need to be managed according to their specific needs. That management can take the form of organic, biodynamic or environmentally sensitive viticulture, or a combination of all three...Viticulture at the Château des Jacques is handled with the greatest respect for all forms of life, although our approach has never been dogmatic.One of the pioneers of the Beaujolais renaissance, the ways in which the Château des Jacques manages its vineyards are constantly being reassessed and adapted in order to allow us to create the best possible wines.

Harvesting is done by hand. As soon as they are picked, the grapes are transported in small bins straight to the winery. A vibrating table separates the healthy grapes from the raisined berries and insects that are always found in vineyards that are managed naturally. Triage follows in order to ensure that only the very best grapes are vinified.

Then, before they are tipped into a fermentation tank, the grapes pass through a destemmer that carefully removes each grape from its stalk. The Château des Jacques was among the first properties in Beaujolais to use this technique, which permits the winemaker to macerate the grapes for a long time without risk of extracting green tannins from the stems.

The process of alcoholic fermentation can be considered to be the point at which a wine is conceived. At the Château des Jacques, the fermentation is both lengthy and natural, just as it was in the time of our ancestors. We do not add anything so that, over the course of 20 to 30 days, the natural yeasts can do their job of transforming healthy grapes into a perfectly balanced wine.Gestation Over the course of the next 10 months, the wines will be allowed to grow and develop in the ‘cocoon' of oak casks contained within the 17th-century cellar.BirthBottling, a delicate operation, takes place on a state-of-the-art bottling line at the Château des Jacques.

The Gamay grape is a member of the Pinot family. More generous and fruity than its aristocratic cousin, Pinot Noir, Gamay is perfectly adapted to the poor, acidic granite soils of the Beaujolais region. Its easy-going character needs to be brought out by the winemaker, and if this is done correctly, the wines created will be delicate and silky, with supple tannins. The ageing potential of the wines created at the Château des Jacques - their life expectancy - is similar to that of the best Burgundian crus. They need between two and four years of bottle age to reach maturity, and they always reveal themselves best when decanted.