Clos Saint Jacques

With the 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques (which by its position in tastings here the Rousseaus conspicuously rate as grand cru) we arrive at the first wine that is matured in new wood. Pure, sweet, fresh black cherry fruit, marrowy and enveloping carnal richness, mysteriously enticing florality, low-toned, chalky minerality and accents of black tea and star anise are featured in this remarkably seamless wine. Meat, minerals and mystery dominate a finish that is profoundly layered yet preserves sheer palate-cleansing refreshment and positively vibrates with vividly fresh fruit intensity. Rousseau owns around one third of this great site, meaning that there are over a thousand cases of this phenomenal wine to ransack the marketplace in search of, then sock away for at least a decade and preferably two. It is always the last-harvested site, says Eric Rousseau, and in 2005 his roughly twenty veteran pickers could certainly afford to wait and richly rewarded us for it.
(David Schildknecht - Wine Advocate - Apr 07)

This has a heady, yet classy nose with real depth and no sign of the oak until the wine is in the mouth. On the palate, barrel and stem tannins that reflect the 80% whole bunch fermentation and the use of 100% new wood, come to the fore with dark chocolate, deep red fruit and blackberry all in attendance. This wine always shows exotic notes in youth, which in time in bottle blend into the class of the St Jacques terroir. Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Sylvie began picking on 3rd September, the earliest ever at this domaine, and she notes that the wines have kept an attractive freshness, which you might not expect in an early vintage. The stems were also ripe enough for her to slightly increase the proportion of whole bunch fermentation, and there were hardly any unhealthy grapes to be deselected, so yields are slightly better than for 2010.

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Jasper divides his time between England and Burgundy. His unique position led him to write the ultimate guide to the vineyards of the region, Inside Burgundy. Described as “the greatest reference work of our generation” by Bill Nanson (www.burgundyreport. com), and “an essential book for anyone remotely interested in the region and its wines” by Neal Martin (www.erobertparker.com), this outstandingly detailed book, in 656 pages, covers one thousand specific vineyards, from Grands Crus to obscure plots.

Jasper Morris MW’s award-winning classic volume ‘Inside Burgundy’ is now available as a series of beautifully designed, interactive, Multi- Touch eBooks for the iPad and iPad Mini.
Inside Burgundy: The Côte de Beaune is the first volume is available for £14.99 on the Apple iBookStore. It is accompanied by the first edition of an innovative new Annual Report on Burgundy by Jasper Morris. Inside Burgundy The Annual Report 2012/13 is downloadable for free.

This wine is still very backward but it will certainly be dark in colour and exceptionally concentrated. We will have to wait to understand the detail of the fruit. 75% stems were retained.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Sylvie feels that her 2012s will benefit from a long maturation in barrel; the wines were certainly at a very backward stage of development when we tasted them in November. There was no hail in Gevrey- Chambertin but the poor flowering conditions restricted her crop to 25 hl/ha overall and she began picking on 24th September.

This Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques 1er Cru from Domaine Esmonin went through its malolactic fermentation late, so is very restrained compared to most. It has a magical intensity to the bouquet and there is a massive block of red and black fruit on the palate, together with a powerful finish. This will benefit from a few more months aging in barrel.

A spicy, peppery nose is a result of the stem component here, where there is a significant touch of class to the fruit too. Quality really shows on the palate, which is a brilliantly hedonistic mix of red and black cherry fruit with exceptional persistence.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Sylvie began picking on 28th September in 2010 and continued into October. Early in the season, once the flowering had produced so much millerandage – “Pinot Noir berries like little peas” – she felt it could have been a vintage of the century, though it would have taken better weather in August to deliver the early promise. As it is, the fine fruit and fresh finish to the wines reminds her more of 2002. The style of the domaine is for a high proportion of stems to be included, supported by new barrels.

80% whole bunch fermentation with stalks adds a fascinating smoky component to the nose. The extraordinary density of fruit requires a long lvage in barrel. The tannins are engulfed by the fruit. This could be a real stayer.