The Jura is a cool mountain region near the French-Swiss border that houses some of the most eclectic and celebrated wines in the world. It is home to indigenous varietals like Poulsard, Trousseau and Savagnin, as well as the grapes of its neighbor Burgundy, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The red wines are made into fresh, perfumed and mineral-driven styles, which are often served with a light chill. These spiced, light bodied reds are perfect wines for fall!
The king of the whites in the Jura, Savagnin, is made into both dry (ouillé) and oxidative (sous voile) styles, the latter most famously known as Vin Jaune. This iconic "yellow wine," often referred to as the Gold of the Jura, is actually a bone-dry white wine made from biological aging under flor, a veil of yeast called voile in French, for 6+ years (think: Sherry). This unique winemaking contributes complexity and powerful flavors of curry, nuts, citrus, earth, and so much umami, which offer versatility for food pairing with many savory dishes — a chef’s wine, indeed! While oxidative wines carry prominence in the region's history, today, many vignerons are turning to non-oxidative, dry (ouillé) style of white wines. These dry white wines made from Chardonnay and Savagnin often reflect their Jurassic terroir through unique, tangy citrus acidity, alpine minerality, and bright fruit and floral notes.
There is no better producer to represent this special region than Domaine André et Mireille Tissot, a hallmark benchmark producer whose wines embody the purest expression of the Jurassic terroir. In 1989, after completing his training in Burgundy, Stéphane came home to take over his family domaine from his parents, André and Mireille. Since then, Stéphane has set on the single quest to let the terroir breathe through his wines, converting to organic and biodynamic farming and minimal winemaking along the way. In fact, in 2003, Stéphane was the first — continues to be the only — producer to introduce Vin Jaune de Terroir, different cuvées of Vin Jaune sourced from different plots of varied soil composition. Below, we are excited to have the rare opportunity to offer 3 of the 4 Vin Jaunes de Terroir cuvées from Stéphane — La Mailloche, Les Bruyères, and En Spois, plus a rare devoilé version of the La Vasée, which developed without full voile. Stéphane's wines bear the gold standard for the current and future generations of the Jura.
Amongst the new generation of Jura, Domaine Fumey Chatelain is a white-hot family domaine on the rise with the help of their young son Marin. Not unlike Stéphane, Marin completed his studies in Burgundy and trainings abroad before returning home to join his family domaine of 16 hectares in 2015. Since then, Marin has brought to the domaine an unparalleled focus on sustainable and organic farming practices and an emphasis on terroir driven, single vineyard wines. In the cellar, he introduced more precise winemaking, along with less SO2, whole cluster vinification, and experimenting with aging in various wood formats. These changes are apparent in the resulting wines; his wines are precise, delicious, and undoubtably Jurassic. These are wines of place, from a star in the making!
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