2019 Nicolas Jacob Chardonnay Côtes du Jura Les Chazaux

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 93 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  3/8/2023 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  An ouillé Jura Chardonnay from Nicolas Jacob, formerly of Domaine Macle and J-F Ganevat. The biodynamically farmed fruit is sourced from the Les Chazaux cru planted in the 1980's. The spontaneous fermentation was carried out in old oak barrels. Aged in oak demi-muids for 22 months. Bottled unfined, unfiltered and without SO2. 13% alcohol.
  
  Pale, almost crystal-clear lime-green color. The nose feels a bit restrained but still very nuanced and fine-tuned with seductive aromas of ripe yellow apples, some zesty citrus fruit tones, a little bit of waxy funk, light oaky notes of creaminess and toasty spice, a hint of smoky reduction and a touch of sweet white peach. The wine is ripe, slightly concentrated and a bit oily on the palate with a moderately full body and layered flavors of fresh red apples and ripe white peaches, some steely mineral tones, a little bit of waxy funk, light savory notes of MSG-like umami, stone fruit hints of sweet greengage and fresh nectarine and a touch of tangy salinity. The wine is suggesting juicy richness and sense of sweetness, while at the same time counterpointing this with brisk acidity that lends great sense of freshness and structure to the mouthfeel. The finish is ripe and concentrated yet very fresh and dry with a long aftertaste of tart Granny Smith apple and sharp salinity, some incisive notes of steely minerality, a little bit of lemony citrus fruit, light phenolic spicy tones, a hint of leathery funk and a savory touch of umami.
  
  A rich, tasty and characterful Chardonnay that combines ripeness and concentration with focused, zippy acidity and incisive minerality. Stylistically this is very similar to the bold and precise ouillé whites of Ganevat and Labet so it's easy to see where Nicolas Jacob is coming from. The wine is still super young and maybe a bit all over the place, but as it shows great potential for future development, I'd say this will be stunning after a handful of more years. And that is not to say this wine wouldn't be fantastic now, because this is pretty darn fine stuff. However, I'm still not sure whether the wine really is worth the 75€. At half the price this would be a no-brainer.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.