2009 Morgon Cote de Py

Readers of issue 190 will realize that when last tasted I found Chateau des Jacques’s 2009 Morgon Cote de Py – as de Castelnau is want to say – “under its oak.” I’m happy to report that this imbalance has receded ? or perhaps “happy” isn’t the best word, because either that wine was having a very bad time when I tasted it before bottling or else I missed what was going on and owe readers an apology! In any event, I now detect an extraordinarily persistent, sappy abundance of blackberry, plum, and red meat juices; textural richness; and a stony mineral dimension. Moreover, for all of its palpable density and richness, there is a sense of lift and verve to the finish. And like this vintage’s Champs de Cour, I have the strong impression that its quality is still on an upward trajectory, and that the wine will merit another half dozen years of attention. Jadot technical director, Jacques Lardiere, and Chateau des Jacques director, Guillaume de Castelnau, – for more about whose distinctive aspirations and methodology as well as about this estate’s vineyard sites consult my reports in issues 184 and 190 – did not compromise in 2010 on their intentions of rendering vins de garde by means of, among other things, extended elevage in largely new barrique. What’s more, they are among numerous Beaujolais producers to have favored pigeage (punch-downs) as a means of extraction in 2010 after having relied primarily on gentler remontage (pump-overs) in 2009. As my parenthetic remarks following each corresponding 2010 tasting note below reveal, the 2009s about which I waxed enthusiastic in issue 190 have with two exceptions fulfilled or exceeded my earlier assessments of their promise – in one case to such an extent that a completely new tasting note was warranted – and wine lovers should be scouring the market to acquire these gems. As usual, none of the latest crop of reds had yet been bottled when I visited in June, and final decisions had not been taken as to the assemblage for the two bottlings that are not vineyard-designated. I have elected to publish notes on the approximations that I tasted because to leave-out precisely the two wines that collectively represent the vast majority of Chateau des Jacques production would strike readers as odd and leave them unaided. (Naturally, the ultimate choice of barrels for the two grand assemblages impacts what is eventually bottled from each single vineyard, but largely in terms of quantity rather than quality, since from any given site, barrel-to-barrel deviance is small compared to that between sites.) Imported by Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490 9300