Clos Saint Jacques

A very rich, solid Gevrey with a lovely smoky, spicy aspect from the inclusion of stems, this bursts with fruit and character; a fine wine from a great vineyard.

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 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

The Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques 2011 has an earthy bouquet, the stems quite prominent, though it is still well defined and full of freshness and vitality. It opens beautifully in the glass.

The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, more linear than its peers, the acidity pitched higher, but that just lends tension and race on the finish. The aftertaste is long with plenty of spicy black fruit and blackcurrant pastilles. This is a very commendable, more masculine, structured Clos St. Jacques that has improved since I last tasted it a few months ago, putting a gap between itself and Rousseau's fellow premier cru.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Nov 2014

Here too there is a gentle touch of wood spice framing the more elegant and ultra refined high-toned red pinot fruit nose that also evidences ample minerality that continues onto the rich, sweet and sappy middle weight flavors that are almost delicate yet focused, pure and sneaky long as the flavor impact is really impressive. A strikingly intense wine of finesse and understatement in 2006.
(Alan Meadows - Burghound - Jan-2009)

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.

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)

There’s a sense of ‘lift’ here, with some real class too. There’s fruit to the fore, but behind this and as it develops in the mouth, there’s a great deal more too. It shows balance and a lightness of touch, but not without Gevrey’s reassuring weight – a sign of a top grade terroir. A strong finish, with this level of fruit, suggests more to come but I would have no hesitation to enjoy now.
Tom Cave, BBR Fine Wine This Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos St Jacques is as dense and dark a wine as anybody has made in 2007, with 70% whole bunch fermentation and 100% new oak. Between them these features give a smoky spice overtone above the concentrated dark fruit, and a really long finish; this is an extraordinary and luxuriant wine.
Jasper Morris MW-Burgundy Director