Grand Cru Tasting Group (Perth) – Wines of Jura

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

This was my introductory blurb to entice members of this tasting group to attend:

(From WIne Compass) The Jura is a wine region in France. It is a somewhat idiosyncratic and, until recently, partly forgotten region. Its newfound popularity lies in its nature as a cross between Burgundy and Sherry.

(From Allan) The Jura is a wine region in France. I've tried a number of wines, white and red, from the Jura and they have ranged from average to undrinkable. I've yet to be tempted to buy a bottle of white Jura, especially chardonnay, which delights in being oxidised to hell. I might bring a chenin blanc instead.

As a result of this highly attractive invitation, a bunch of us took up the challenge. In a break with recent tradition, we chose to serve these wines unmasked, and we also served reds before whites, on the preconception that the whites might be weightier than the reds (this turned out to be mostly correct). As usual, however, the notes here are a compilation of the group’s notes, and not necessarily my own. Where I feel compelled to express a personal opinion, it will be apparent.

One of the whites was corked, and notes for that wine were left out.

So, we started with bubbles:

BBF Benedictine Et Stephane Tissot. 100% chardonnay, with a year in oak for 75% of the base wine, and 48 months on lees. We also considered that the dosage was low or zero. Yellow gold with a creamy mousse. The nose is toasty with yeast autolysis and Fuji apple. The palate is light and very dry and shows a touch of sherry. There’s nutty oak and the finish is quite long, very dry and a little like soda water. Personally, this was the most interesting wine of the night, but this opinion wasn’t shared by all.

Then onto the reds:

Fumey Chatelain Poulsard 2018 (Arbois): 12.5% alc. Garnet in colour, and quite bright. There’s smoked duck breast and bright cherry on the nose, and the cherry follows through to the light-weight palate, along some charcutierie. It’s high acid, low tannin, and almost delicate. It’s simple and fresh and finishes a little short. Described by one taster as “Easy drinking, no thinking”.

Singulier Benedictine Et Stephane Tissot Trousseau 2018 (Arbois): 14% alc. Ruby in colour. Dark cherry and dark fruits generally on the nose, and quite herbal (especially rosemary) and earthy. There’s more earthiness on the palate, and it appeared stalky, in a similar way to some pinots (but research showed the wine is 100% de-stemmed). Good acid, fine but noticeable tannins. Short finish.

Michel Gahier Trousseau 2016 (Arbois): 12.5% alc. Crimson colour. This is a little more complex than the other reds, with cherry, dark fruits, stems, meats, fruitcake and some herbs on the nose. The palate shows good acid and modest but silky tannins. Again, a short finish – what’s the issue here? The nose is bigger than the palate, and some tasters likened the wine to a blaufrankisch or gamay. Comparatively well regarded by the group.

Then onto the whites and not a chardonnay in sight:

Domaine De La Tournelle Fleur Du Savagnin Evelyne Et Pascal Clairet 2013. Yellow in colour. A slight sherry nose, with florals, chashews, mandarin (zest and pith) and mashed potato (!). It’s light and fresh, with good acid, more sherry on the palate, quite pronounced salinity and good length. Some viscosity or texture as well.

Domaine de Mont Dorgeau Savagnin 2014 (L’Etoile): Yellow gold in colour. Noticeable rancio / sherry on the nose, along with saline oyster shell, preserved lemon and pecan nuts. The strong yeast and flor characters overflow to the palate, which is sour, nutty with a slightly oily texture balanced by cleansing acid. Moderate length. Described a “sherry without the alcohol) and well regarded by the group. I’m not sure I have the correct spelling for this wine.

Auguste Pirou Vin Jaune Savagnin 2013: Full gold in colour. The nose is one of the more unusual I have encountered: celery salt dominated, with some curry leaf, buttermilk and fennel. Some minerality evident also. The palate shows light sherry characters, with more curry, nuttiness and good supporting acid. There’s also a creamy texture reminiscent of viognier.

Wine of the night was the Domaine de Mont Dorgeau Savagnin 2014.

Personally, this tasting did little to change my previous opinion of Jura wines. Part of this is the sherry character that appears to pervade the whites to a greater or lesser extent (and paradoxically, I don’t mind a good sherry or two). A couple in the group are enthusiastic supporters of Jura wines, and I am sure the group found some education here – but I still don’t see what the fuss is about.

Now, where did I leave that chenin blanc?

Cheers
Allan

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PS: The photo includes a Plantagenet Riesling brought along as an aperitif by one of the tasters. It's not a Jura.

[Ian S]

If you ever see Domaine Rijckaert, Cotes de Jura "Sur le Marne" Chardonnay, then give it a try. Not at all oxidised, and made by a skilled master and apprentice (the latter now very much taking the reins) from Macon (Leynes). Wonderfully vibrant, as perhaps the Jura ought to be.

[mychurch]

My sort of tasting. Great notes.

Rijkert is currently available at some Dans stores, as is the Pirou - I have a few bottles and they need to be aged.

I prefer Chenin, but it’s really hard to find a more interesting white wine region. It took a while for the style to grow on me, but they work well with food and the complexity, together with the acidity, makes them above so many other regions/styles. The Chardonnays can be great as well.

[TiggerK]

So happy you guys branched out a bit Allan!!

i could be here all day trying to justify the wines of Jura but it's not worth trying to convince those who don't enjoy the style that it's worthy of interest. i get it, it's a crazy region, and there are a decent percent of wines that even Jura lovers would accept as poor quality. But there's also plenty to love, for those who click to the style. And there's nothing wrong with not getting it, it's often high acid, unusual, rare, and that leaves more for me!!!

But it's important to note that the style can be (but definitely not always) made in an Oxidative style. I'm no technical expert but for me, this is NOT Oxidised. I get that it's perhaps a technical argument, but the two are very very different for me. Done right, the Jura oxidative style has that addictive Jura Ox Savagnin character of curry leaf, walnuts, bracing acid, fresh salinity that gets me hooked in every time. Maybe not for an entire bottle, but I love it a lot. But it's important to note that many many Jura wines are only slightly 'Ox', some are not even Ox at all. Savagnin are the best of the Jura whites, but some Chardonnays can also be nice. The reds often have some funk, again for some a fault, others a characterful wine of interest and complexity. Others are just clean savoury autumnal wines that are delicious to drink if you want the opposite to a massive fruited aussie red.

Cheers
Tim

[Polymer]

It is Montbourgeau...Great producer in L'Etoile...

I don't know if I'd call the finish short in the reds..but I guess it depends on what you're expecting. They're not mouth coating wines generally...more freshness...trousseau will tend to have a little grip..sometimes their pinots too much...But the acidity and slight grip clean up the wines on the finish so maybe this is what you're experiencing?

I'd also say that most of the newer producers in the Jura are all doing topped up wines....maybe a few oxidatives in their stable but they're mainly Ouille vs Sous Voile. It shouldn't be a surprise that these are also the wines that appeal to a wider audience. To be honest, this is where I'd start people when it comes to Jura....Chardonnay and Savagnin topped up...and if those are even the least bit interesting, eventually you'll still get a topped up wine that has some voile influence (probably because there was a voile somewhere around there at some point). You'll find that some wines have less of an oxidative note and then eventually you'll stop noticing the ox as much and just enjoy the acid drive and intensity.... The reds (which are generally not as strong as the whites) will almost always feel like earlier drinker although trousseau can age beautifully as well...It isn't unusual to find reds served before the whites in the Jura...You have to enjoy smashable reds...low alcohol, refreshing, interesting wines...

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks indeed Polymer for confirming the Montbourgeau label.

Polymer and Tigger - you both sound as enthusiastic about Jura as a couple of the people in my tasting group. Great descriptions of the characters that make Jura different. There was also discussion / exploration on the night of the concept of "topped up" compared to traditional Jura maturation. All interesting and educational, and maybe I will get it in time. In the meantime, I remind myself that I was easily under the limit for driving that night

Cheers
Allan

[Polymer]

Thanks indeed Polymer for confirming the Montbourgeau label.

Polymer and Tigger - you both sound as enthusiastic about Jura as a couple of the people in my tasting group. Great descriptions of the characters that make Jura different. There was also discussion / exploration on the night of the concept of "topped up" compared to traditional Jura maturation. All interesting and educational, and maybe I will get it in time. In the meantime, I remind myself that I was easily under the limit for driving that night

Cheers
Allan

There have been a few on here that absolutely hated oxidative Juras..but now they like them. I'm not saying will be or should be your journey...but it does happen to some .

I don't know if I actually seek out oxidative notes...I think they're interesting but what I like about the process is:
Increases the intensity of the wines..and savagnin provides that great acidity. It is important to have both.
Protects the wine....Old oxidative Juras are pretty tough...which means, assuming you can find them, you can get wonderful very old Juras that are in fantastic shape..it has made for quite a number of highs you just don't see often. You can build up intensity through a long elevage with topped up wines...there are some wines topped up for a number of years..but it is easy for those to go a bit funny as well if taken out too long.

The downside to oxidative is sometimes it can be just overpowering...it removes some of the style, maybe some of the subtle notes. To me topped up highlights a bit more of the winemaking (In the vineyard and in the cellar). That isn't to say you don't have differences in oxidative..you only have to compare different Vin Jaunes to see they can be vastly different...but, at least to me, they can still fit in a more narrow description and "style" than ouille...

[daver6]

So there is still plenty of scope for me to convert Allan

[Waiters Friend]

So there is still plenty of scope for me to convert Allan

Wasn't it a 1971 you poured down the sink recently?

[daver6]

So there is still plenty of scope for me to convert Allan

Wasn't it a 1971 you poured down the sink recently?

Very sadly it was. Nothing will save a wine from TCA

[mychurch]

The Pirou Vin Jaune was on special offer last weekend at Dan’s, so I picked up a couple of extra bottles. Really drinks well in a Riedel Monty glass. Very much as Allan describes above, this is very accessible for a Jaune and isn’t nearly as Yellow as I was hoping for. Great wine for the price though and if you want a non-Auz intro into Yellow wine, it’s a no brainier.