2023 Chateau Des Jacques Moulin-A-Vent La Rochelle Beaujolais 6pk 6x750ml

Most people meet Beaujolais as a light, fruity party red. That's fine, but it's only half the story. Chateau des Jacques tells the other half. Maison Louis Jadot has owned the estate since 1996 and runs it like a Burgundy domaine: hand harvesting, careful sorting, long macerations and time in barrel. It's one of the most respected names in Beaujolais for a reason.

Moulin-a-Vent is often called the most Burgundian of the ten crus, the one with the body, depth and staying power to age. La Rochelle is one of the estate's single-vineyard sites, on weathered granite and sand that give Gamay a mineral backbone and a grip most people don't expect from the grape.

2023 started with a mild winter and a variable spring, then a summer that swung between heat spikes, cool spells and storms. Chateau des Jacques says quality came in much higher than expected, with ideal ripeness and very even maturity. Critics are calling it Beaujolais' second outstanding vintage in a row, fresher and a touch lower in alcohol than expected.

Open it tonight with a slight chill and a bit of air, or lay a few bottles down and see where they go.