The five blancs all a similar pale lemon colour. A bouquet of peach and other orchard fruit, lemon and grapefruit, with some green apple. On palate, tight, mineral and citric. Precise but nicely ripe fruit. Wet granite with a bit of steeliness. Also, a little crisp green apple. Oak present but well integrated (as was the case with the other four blancs too). Drink from now, but ideally hold for 2-3 years. Lacking much of the complexity and detail of the better blancs in the range. Still, it’s very impressive for the second-to-bottom blanc of the range.
Clearly, a step up from the Pouilly-Loché. A breezier, more chalky and mineral nose, with Meyer lemon and lime juice. Also, a whiff of white meadow flowers. In the mouth, clearly a finer, more compelling wine. More rocky minerality and more persistent with precise, focused acidity. Finishing quite long and very dry. Drinking well now it’d be best to give it 3-4+ more years in the cellar.
An attractive nose of peaches and other yellow fruit, grapefruits and brown spices. In the mouth, a very different presentation – compared with the rest of the range - from the basic Pouilly-Fuissé in the range. Richer and fuller - and showing less apparent acidity - with tangy grapefruit. Mineral and a little saline. Not hugely complex but enjoyable. Drink from now.
A clear step up. Classy white Burgundy. A lovely bouquet with white floral, spice, lime, pineapple and peach perfumes. On palate, richer and fuller than the earlier wines. More concentrated and complex. Layered and refined. Beautifully balanced with refreshing acidity. More available and less closed – and therefore preferred on the night – over the Vignes de la Cote. Ideally hold for 2-3 + years though.
Aromatic with a powerful bouquet, with notes of baking spice, white flowers, minerals and honeycomb. Drinking more powerfully than the other blancs tasted. More intense, concentrated, structured and long. Quite backward and tight. But also showing greater complexity with – no doubt – much more to come. It may ultimately prove to be the better wine than the Vignes Blanches. Cellar for 3 – 4+ more years and drink in the next 10+.
Turning to the Beaujolais, overall, as a set, I found them less individual and interesting than the blancs, while still being good to excellent Beaujolais … The five rouges all exhibited a similar dark ruby robe. A typical Moulin-à-Vent, dark berried bouquet of black berry, black currant and tilled warm soil, with a dash of black pepper. In the mouth, very much ready to go now. (“Past it”, said a fellow taster, though I wouldn't be that extreme). Dark berries and cherries very much dominate the palate. Quite refined, the tannins and acids well integrated. A bit of a hot ferment – typical Beaujolais – character. Drink now, not a wine to further cellar.
Much better. Nuances of dark plums, dark spices, tilled soil, iodine and wet metals on the nose. On palate, relatively detailed with notes of black plums, dark cherries, minerals, black pepper, new leather, earth and a touch of Marmite. Good concentration, structure and acidity. Some spicy oak but pretty well balanced by the fruit. Decent length. Drinking younger than the Moulin-à-Vent. Consume over the next five years.
The best Beaujolais yet and one of the best in the line up to drink now, in my view. An intriguing, layered bouquet of spicy cherries, dark spices, earth, high cacao chocolate and espresso. A mouth of blackberries and other dark fruit, liquorice, earth, burnt toast and mocha. An attractive saline mineral element. Lovely oak handling. Harmonious, well balanced and integrated. Drinking very well now but – given the stuffing here – I would expect this would expect this Fleurie to give pleasure over the next 5-6+ years.
A nose of dark cherry, liquorice, smoky bonfire and dark plum. On palate, barbequed, slightly burnt venison, blackberries, dark soil and Black Doris plums. Some vanillin, creamy oak artefact, yet to fully integrate. I don’t expect this cuvée to be quite as long-lived as some of the other top wines, perhaps drink over the next 3 - 4 years, notwithstanding the oak integration.
For me, the star among the 2010 Beaujolais. A complex bouquet of minerals, soils, blackcurrants and black cherries with river boulder. On palate, the fullest, richest and densest of the wines. Serious structure. Actually – at the moment – a bit of a tannic beast. Black fruited with damp peaty soil, iron and a little black truffle. Ideally hold for 2-3+ years, I'd expect the Chassignol to drink well over the next 10+ years. In that timeframe I wouldn't be surprised if it outperformed the La Chapalle.
2016 Jules Desjourneys Pouilly-Loché 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Loché
The five blancs all a similar pale lemon colour. A bouquet of peach and other orchard fruit, lemon and grapefruit, with some green apple. On palate, tight, mineral and citric. Precise but nicely ripe fruit. Wet granite with a bit of steeliness. Also, a little crisp green apple. Oak present but well integrated (as was the case with the other four blancs too). Drink from now, but ideally hold for 2-3 years. Lacking much of the complexity and detail of the better blancs in the range. Still, it’s very impressive for the second-to-bottom blanc of the range.
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2016 Jules Desjourneys Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Vinzelles
Clearly, a step up from the Pouilly-Loché. A breezier, more chalky and mineral nose, with Meyer lemon and lime juice. Also, a whiff of white meadow flowers. In the mouth, clearly a finer, more compelling wine. More rocky minerality and more persistent with precise, focused acidity. Finishing quite long and very dry. Drinking well now it’d be best to give it 3-4+ more years in the cellar.
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2016 Jules Desjourneys Pouilly-Fuissé 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
An attractive nose of peaches and other yellow fruit, grapefruits and brown spices. In the mouth, a very different presentation – compared with the rest of the range - from the basic Pouilly-Fuissé in the range. Richer and fuller - and showing less apparent acidity - with tangy grapefruit. Mineral and a little saline. Not hugely complex but enjoyable. Drink from now.
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2016 Jules Desjourneys Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
A clear step up. Classy white Burgundy. A lovely bouquet with white floral, spice, lime, pineapple and peach perfumes. On palate, richer and fuller than the earlier wines. More concentrated and complex. Layered and refined. Beautifully balanced with refreshing acidity. More available and less closed – and therefore preferred on the night – over the Vignes de la Cote. Ideally hold for 2-3 + years though.
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2016 Jules Desjourneys Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes de la Cote 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
Aromatic with a powerful bouquet, with notes of baking spice, white flowers, minerals and honeycomb. Drinking more powerfully than the other blancs tasted. More intense, concentrated, structured and long. Quite backward and tight. But also showing greater complexity with – no doubt – much more to come. It may ultimately prove to be the better wine than the Vignes Blanches. Cellar for 3 – 4+ more years and drink in the next 10+.
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2010 Jules Desjourneys Moulin-à-Vent 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
Turning to the Beaujolais, overall, as a set, I found them less individual and interesting than the blancs, while still being good to excellent Beaujolais … The five rouges all exhibited a similar dark ruby robe. A typical Moulin-à-Vent, dark berried bouquet of black berry, black currant and tilled warm soil, with a dash of black pepper. In the mouth, very much ready to go now. (“Past it”, said a fellow taster, though I wouldn't be that extreme). Dark berries and cherries very much dominate the palate. Quite refined, the tannins and acids well integrated. A bit of a hot ferment – typical Beaujolais – character. Drink now, not a wine to further cellar.
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2010 Jules Desjourneys Fleurie Les Moriers 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Much better. Nuances of dark plums, dark spices, tilled soil, iodine and wet metals on the nose. On palate, relatively detailed with notes of black plums, dark cherries, minerals, black pepper, new leather, earth and a touch of Marmite. Good concentration, structure and acidity. Some spicy oak but pretty well balanced by the fruit. Decent length. Drinking younger than the Moulin-à-Vent. Consume over the next five years.
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2010 Jules Desjourneys Fleurie Chapelle des Bois 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
The best Beaujolais yet and one of the best in the line up to drink now, in my view. An intriguing, layered bouquet of spicy cherries, dark spices, earth, high cacao chocolate and espresso. A mouth of blackberries and other dark fruit, liquorice, earth, burnt toast and mocha. An attractive saline mineral element. Lovely oak handling. Harmonious, well balanced and integrated. Drinking very well now but – given the stuffing here – I would expect this would expect this Fleurie to give pleasure over the next 5-6+ years.
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2010 Jules Desjourneys Moulin-à-Vent Les Michelons 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
A nose of dark cherry, liquorice, smoky bonfire and dark plum. On palate, barbequed, slightly burnt venison, blackberries, dark soil and Black Doris plums. Some vanillin, creamy oak artefact, yet to fully integrate. I don’t expect this cuvée to be quite as long-lived as some of the other top wines, perhaps drink over the next 3 - 4 years, notwithstanding the oak integration.
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2010 Jules Desjourneys Moulin-à-Vent Chassignol 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
For me, the star among the 2010 Beaujolais. A complex bouquet of minerals, soils, blackcurrants and black cherries with river boulder. On palate, the fullest, richest and densest of the wines. Serious structure. Actually – at the moment – a bit of a tannic beast. Black fruited with damp peaty soil, iron and a little black truffle. Ideally hold for 2-3+ years, I'd expect the Chassignol to drink well over the next 10+ years. In that timeframe I wouldn't be surprised if it outperformed the La Chapalle.
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