Louis Jadot Chateau Des Jacques Clos de Loyse

Description

Louis Jadot Chateau Des Jacques Clos de Loyse is a superb white wine made in the Beaujolais wine-growing region from 100% Chardonnay. The grapes come from a 22.3 acre walled vineyard called Le Grand Clos de Loyse. 

Louis Jadot is one of the largest and most famous wine producers and negociants in the Burgundy wine-growing region. The origins of the company date back to 1859 when the business was founded by Louis Henry Denis Jadot. Over time the company has acquired plots of vines in some of the most prestigious vineyards in the region including Beaune Clos des Ursules, Chambertin Clos de Bèze, and many more. Louis Jadot owns or directly controls 120 ha in the Côte d’Or, including over 90 individual vineyard sites, 84ha in the Beaujolais Crus and 18ha in the Mâconnais primarily in Pouilly Fuissé (they own the fantastic Domaine Ferret). Today the business is headed by Pierre-Henry Gagey, son of André Gagey, who was entrusted with the management of Louis Jadot in 1962.

The Chateau des Jacques property was purchased by Maison Louis Jadot in 1996. It is one of the most prestigious wine estates in the Beaujolais area and was once a place to rest along the pilgrims’ route of Santiago de Compostela. It consists of some 80 hectares of vineyards spread across six different appellations including Chenas, Fleurie, Morgan and Moulin A Vent. Jadot produces a range of Beaujolais wines from their best-selling Beaujolais Villages to the great single vineyard wines of Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon. In 2017 the winery was completely renovated and equipped with modern wine-making equipment. 

The Chardonnay grapes for Louis Jadot Chateau Des Jacques Clos de Loyse are harvested by hand from a single “Clos” of 9 hectares of vineyards called the “Le Grand Clos de Loyse”. The Chardonnay grown here (further down the slopes of the Chénas appellation and only a few kilometres away from Pouilly Fuissé) benefit from a very different terroir from the rest of Southern Burgundy. The soils here are alluvial lying on a granite bedrock which gives the wine a fruiter character. The grapes are sustainably farmed and moving steadily toward organic certification.

After manual harvesting, the grapes are transported to the winery as soon as possible for sorting on a vibrating table followed by manual sorting to ensure only the best grapes are used. The grapes are pressed as soon as possible after the harvest, the musts then rest overnight for cold settling (debourbage) in stainless steel vats. Half of this wine undergoes fermentation and ageing on its lees in oak Burgundian barrels, whilst the other half is vinified in stainless steel vats. During maturation, the wine undergoes lees stirring to add complexity and texture. Blending and bottling takes place after 8 to 9 months, at the end of spring.

Bourgogne Blanc vs Beaujolais Blanc

From the 2023 vintage, Clos de Loyse is labelled as a Beaujolais Blanc AOC. It had previously been labelled as a Bourgogne Blanc but, due to a a rule change by the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO), the French body in charge of appellation rules, 42 communes in Beaujolais are no longer allowed to call their white wines Bourgogne Blanc. Chardonnay plantings only make up less 5% of total production in Beaujolais.