Clos des Jacobins 2022

A complex bouquet of dark berry fruit, plum, fresh mint, pepper, violet and mineral notes; a taut palate showing both opulence and elegance, plenty of drive, tannins chiseled from stone; great length, salty finish. Gives you goosebumps.

Lovely airy fragrance on the nose – blackcurrants, roses, violets and sweet cherries. Smooth and really satisfying, this has gorgeous acidity that really harmonises with the ripe and cool fruit – both sun-kissed blackcurrants with salty-edged blueberries. I love the minerality that comes through almost straight away and really adds to the overall power and thrust. Finessed and so easy to like. Still a little compact and spiced with lots of liquorice and clove but there's something quietly charming about this wine. In conversion to organic.

Tasted blind. Very fragrant in a Cabernet sort of way. The extraction has been handled much better than usual in this wine. (JR)

The 2022 Clos des Jacobins is unapologetically muted on the nose: sultry black fruit, pastilles, bilberry and a faint estuarine scent. The palate is medium-bodied with thick tannins that lend weight, quite dense, maybe just a little brutish at the moment. For me, I regret to say, this lacks a bit of class. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Packed with espresso, chocolate, and black cherries, the wine is lush, round, and creamy, with loads of juicy plums and more creamy chocolate on the finish. Drink from 2025–2040.

Deep ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Delicate herbal savouriness, ripe cherries, some nougat, ripe plums on the finish. The palate has depth, cherries, mineral notes, taut tannins. An opulent, fruity style with a spicy finish. A reliable food wine for many occasions.

Inky dark purple core and hue. Pure and intense nose offering chalk, blackberry, crème de cassis, cherry, violet, fine toast and oak. Dense and concentrated palate with grainy tannin and extract, a well-balanced acidity giving lift to the inky dark fruit flavors, followed by a long, pure and dense finish.

The 2022 Clos des Jacobins is impressive, and it is safely up with the finest releases I’ve tasted from this château. Deep ruby/purple-hued, with a gorgeous perfume of spicy red and black fruits, chalky earth, and spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, lush, powerful mouthfeel, velvety tannins, and outstanding length. It needs air to show at its best, so throw this in a decanter if drinking any time soon. It will ideally be given 3-4 years of bottle age, and it’s going to still be drinking beautifully at age 20.

Plenty of impact on the opening, sweet damson and raspberry, managing to retain a sappiness to the fruit despite the concentrated inky depths of espresso, cocoa bean, sandalwood and tar. Magali and Thibault Decoster are owners at this 8.5ha estate. 90% new oak.

A subtle vegetal note on the nose, lifted by hints of graphite. On the palate, black fruit, a fluid, succulent texture, with a sweet-savoury touch on the finish.

Inviting notes of dark fruits, licorice, and truffles on the bouquet of Clos des Jacobins. Fruity and slightly creamy on the attack, the wine unfolds with elegance, yet also with conviction and an eye for detail. Everything seems well structured to me, with muscular yet fleshy tannins and a structuring acidity. A fine success for Thibault and Magali Decoster!

Logo on the cork: SNBG Deep black color. An intense, refined, fruity and subtle nose, both fresh and ripe. A hint of hazelnuts when the glass is swirled. Fleshy on the attack, juicy on the mid-palate, with a velvety flow and plenty of flavor, the wine builds through to the finish. It ends long, sappy and powerful, without losing its substance. Superb.

A very convincing nose of sweet blackcurrants, blackberries and dark chocolate, with an appealing edge of toasty oak. The palate follows with a wealth of dark fruits, dark chocolate, toast and coffee bean, set in a broad and voluminous texture, underpinned by a rich core of tightly knit tannins. This is lovely impact, coherence and a sense of freshness, with good grip and energy. Delicious persistence on the finish too, wrapped up in bright tannins. A great result for the Decosters.