Couvent des Jacobins

The History of the Jacobin Convent

The Convent of the Jacobins was built on one of the highest points of Saint Emilion. In 1389, it was donated to the Dominican preacher brothers, also known as the Jacobins, and then took its final name.

The Convent of the Jacobins was a place of prayer, but also a stopover for pilgrims traveling the route to Saint James of Compostela. The brothers assiduously worked the vineyards surrounding their convent for nearly four centuries and exported it throughout France, as well as to the English court.

Around 1780, the Dominican order was dissolved and the Jacobin Convent was abandoned, before being sold as national property during the French Revolution. It then had various owners, including the Guadet and Vauthier families.

The Convent of the Jacobins was bought by a wine grower from Saint Emilion, Jean Jean, known as Gentil Jean. The vineyard then went to his daughter, Berthe, who married Noël Joinaud. Between 1957 and 1965, the estate was thoroughly restructured and renovated and the cellar was enlarged to improve production. At the same time, new plots of land were acquired on the limestone plateau on the eastern side of Saint Emilion.

In 1969, the Couvent des Jacobins achieved its first classification as a Saint Émilion Grand Cru Classé. The operation reverted to Rose-Noëlle Borde, the daughter of Noël Joinaud, and her husband Alain Borde.

Since 2010, Xavier Jean, the great-great-grandson of Jean Jean has been at the helm of the Couvent des Jacobins.

The Convent of the Jacobins vineyard

The Couvent des Jacobins vineyard extends from the 10.7 hectares. The vines are between 10 and 55 years old. The grape varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The harvest is manual. They start with the harvest of the Merlot, then the Cabernet Franc and finally the Petit Verdot.

The vineyard covers four soil types:
- limestone rock on the eastern plateau of Saint Emilion ;
- sandy-clay on calcareous molasses of the Fronsadais in the South-West ;
- sandy-clay on iron dross subsoil, at the foot of the Saint Emilion hill ;
- clay-limestone on the northeast plateau of the village.

The estate has been certified in Organic Agriculture ECOCERT since September 2020.

The wines of the Jacobin Convent

The Couvent des Jacobins produces Grand Cru Classé Saint Émilion wines. The blend consists of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

The Calicem plot

Since 2015, the Convent of the Jacobins has been cultivating separately the small parcel of Calicem, founded on molasse of the Fronsadais and representing less than 1 hectare on the southwestern coast of Saint Émilion. Its vines were planted in the early 1960s.

The wine from this parcel benefits from the very deep root system which results in naturally low yields, but produces very concentrated berries.

The wine from the Calicem parcel is vinified independently of the other wines from the Convent of the Jacobins. It represents less than 3,000 bottles per year of a wine of exceptional quality. The nectar displays an intense color, a varied aromatic palette, a magnificent density in the mouth and silky tannins.

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