2014 Moulin a Vent Clos de Rochegres, Ch des Jacques

40-year-old vines. Highest plot of the AOC. Lieu-dit Au Mont. Pink granite. Long maceration with punchdowns and pumpovers for 25 days. Racked once. Aged for 10 months in barrels. Blended. Filtration. Lightish cherry red. Smells a little stemmy though the notes do not mention destemming or not. Dry, fresh and elegant. Better overall balance than the straight Ch des Jacques though the oak is still in evidence on the slightly tough finish. (JH)

The 2014 Moulin a Vent Clos de Rochegres has quite a punchy nose with dark cherries and strawberry, perhaps a little pinched compared to their other 2014s. The palate for me was a little disappointing: plenty of sour cherry on the entry, but a metallic note that nagged away with some heat towards the finish. I allowed the wine to settle for an hour to see if it would improve but it remained just a little unlovable within the context of a perfectly lovable Beaujolais vintage.

Bright cherry. A little spicy and fragrant dark-red fruit. Already showing a very nice balance between soft fruit and tannins and fresh acidity. You could enjoy this now. Gentle but persistent. (JH)