A spur of the moment visit to one of Bordeaux’s great chateau more than thirty years earlier, while working for a bank in Paris, had enflamed Graham’s passion for wine and had him vowing that one day he would own a great property and produce an exceptional wine. So throughout a successful career, which took him to many parts of world, he never lost that clear objective and continued to increase his wine knowledge, not to mention his personal cellar, to help him reach his goal.
So following his retirement in 2000, his search for a suitable property began in earnest. He was keen to concentrate on the Bordeaux satellite appellations, in particular Bergerac, but his French wife Beatrice was determined to look further south with its better climate and relatively undiscovered vinous wonders. Needless to say Beatrice won and in early 2001 they bought the run-down 215 acre property, Chateau Saint-Jacques d’Albas, twenty minutes from the historic city of Carcassonne within the Minervois appellation.
Although the property was fantastically beautiful with its winemaking roots going right back to Roman times, Graham and Beatrice were not going to be able to relax into a retirement spent on the sunny terrace as the previous owners had allowed things to crumble a little, satisfied selling their grapes to the local cave co-op. So a massive program of rebuilding and regeneration started which continues today. The first wave of investment was in the 72 acres of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre vines, which needed extensive remedial work including tough re-pruning, homeopathic mineral treatments and organic sheep manure to re-invigorate the soils. Next on the list was the building of a brand new winery, with state of the art equipment to support the efforts of their Australian winemaker, Richard Osbourne and give them a five-thousand case capacity to aim towards.
The property produces five wines; a Vin de Pays, Petite Saint-Jacques, from vines that fall outside the appellation; a tank-aged Domain wine; a Chateau wine from oak-aged Syrah; a super-cuvee, La Chapelle, from the oldest of Syrah wines and a delicious summer Rose.
True to his pledge of all those years before, Graham and Chateau Saint-Jacques d’Albas are producing very exciting wines which pair the wonderful terrior of the property with elegance, concentration and supple sweet fruit, a style that has won them many followers around the world and perhaps toughest of all within the local region!
To get a real insight into Graham Nutter's winemaking philosophies and the evolution of Chateau Saint-Jacques watch his interview with Brit Karlson on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDsMvGILxHE
These are the wines, vintages and approximate retail prices from Château Saint-Jacques we currently have available in the UK.
Red Wines
| Label | Name | Size | Price per botte | Stockist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Le Petite Saint-Jacques 2007, Vin de Pays d’Oc | Bottle | £8.00 | Find Stockists |
|
Domaine Saint-Jacques d’Albas 2005 | Bottle | £11.00 | Find Stockists |
|
Château Saint-Jacques d’Albas 2003 | Bottle | £15.00 | Find Stockists |
Rose Wines
| Label | Name | Size | Price per botte | Stockist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Les Roses Saint-Jacques d’Albas 2007 | Bottle | £8.00 | Find Stockists |
Whats going on at the winery
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
- Click here to see pictures and other bits and pieces from the winery.
Meet the winemakers
Graham Nutter...
- What was your first Job?
- Leaving aside Bob-a-Job in the Scouts and being a Xmas postman when a student, my first serious job was as a barman at an Annecy hotel, quenching the thirst of Belgian bus drivers with Pernod, in the days when breathalyzers didn’t exist.
- What has been your greatest wine and food experience?
- No doubt here. It was dinner in Paris at Taillevent, perhaps a tad old world for some but unbeatable food, wine, presentation and service.
- If you could make a vintage anywhere, where would you go?
- Probably Puligny Montrachet, as I love white Burgs
- Your proudest moment?
- Bottling our first vintage in 2001 (but don’t tell the War Office and the brood)
- What would you last meal be?
- Boudin de Fruits de Mer (Taillevent) washed down with a 1995 Puligny from Carillon; Scottish Rib of Beef, washed down with Figeac 1990, a selection of goat cheeses, accompanied by Rousseau’s Le Chambertin 1989 and Taillevent’s desert trolley to end with, accompanied by a Climens 1990. St Peter would then have to accept me as a fellow food critic.
- What is your desert island wine (apart from your own)?
- Assuming a wine chiller is available, St Aubin by Colin. Never tire of it
- What would be your fantasy other job?
- To drive a bulldozer
- Sport: Round Ball or Oval?
- Oval
- Who, in the whole of history, would you most like to sit next to on a long-haul flight?
- Peter Ustinov on one side and Sharon Stone on the other
- How would you best like to be remembered?
- As aiding in the uplift in the reputation of Minervois reds
For a stockist in your area please call us on 01256 897 640
Top five stockists
- Wimbledon Wine Cellar, London SW6 - 020 7736 2191
- Sommelier Wine Co, St Peter Port, Guernsey - 01481 721 677
- Smiths of Smithfield, London EC1 - 020 7251 7950
- The Dorset Wine Company, Dorchester, Dorset - 01305 266 734
- The Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton, Sussex - 01273 698 724
