Fun fact the Jurassic period is named after the Jura Mountains in France, with rocks of that age first studied in Jura and this is where the blog goes this week.
Not done a wine post for a while, mainly due to me not having been to too many tastings of late. Has, in some cases, become a bit more of a chore than a labour of love (with seemingly more admin. than imbibing), with other commitments having curtailing my attendance at both the Bristol and Cardiff wine tasting clubs. The Bristol one does allow me to take more of a back seat (and to see my Dad).
Now my wine posts tend to be about as popular as an Ebola outbreak and Jura is a wine region that is perhaps on the periphery of those who have only a passing interest in wine (probably the majority of those that read the blog) or are not achingly trendy hipsters (hipsters apparently really love Jura wines). Aldi’s rather good value Cremant du Jura is probably the wine that most in the UK will recognise the area from wine wise. Cremant, however, ain’t the half of it with this a fascinating wine region offering a number of styles and grapes (rather interesting ones at that).
Nestled between Burgundy and the Switz border, it is a cool climate wine region (the wine growing bit is a thin strip in the middle of the Départment)
known for its valley, lakes and vine clad hills.
Distinct local grape abound, with the likes of savignin, poulsard and trousseau (aka bastardo – I mean who came up with that name!), as well as international varieties (linked, no doubt, to it bordering Burgundy) in the form of Chardonnay and pinot noir.
The tasting (with food after included) was at the rather lovely (baby brother of the very good Littlefrench) Little Pantry (conveniently located a short walk up the hill from my mate’s pad in Redlands) in Henleze, Bristol (just up the road from where Hugo and Jacintha from the other week’s post probably live, both of whom are also probably well into Jura wine, but only if it is the really “natural” stuff).
To accompany the wines, these wines really benefit from being drunk with food in my opinion, we had a fine array of cheese (controversially, when Jura is famous for it cheese, not least Comté, all British)
and charcuterie.
So eventually, to the wine (I knew you would skip straight to this part J)
Wine 1 – Cremant du Jura, Blanc de blanc, Chateau Bethanie, 2018
This was a rare thing in that it was a fizz I really liked.
Chardonnay, with a smidgen (2% I believe) of vin jaune (the region’s yellow wine which is barrel aged under flor yeast) added to the mix just before bottling, it all sounded rather intriguing and akin to the rather fine Colet/Equipo Navaza cava collaboration (the end product of which I love).
Light colour, with a nice soft mousse (not overly fizzy) and mouth feel.
On the nose, it offered up pleasing aromas of baked apple pie, with a touch of bready yeastiness.
On the palate, I got more apple and a smack of citrus (lemon). Very refreshing this, with bag loads of acidity (this will be a recurring theme)
I don’t drink much fizz (usually gives me terrible heartburn), but I would buy this. Big step up from Aldi’s (pretty good) crement du Jura.
Price: £23
Wine 2 – Arbois Terres des Marnes (chardonnay), Arbois Frutieres, Chateau Bethanie, 2016
Golden is colour,
the nose on this was tricky (at least to my dysfunctional conk) to pin down. I got maybe nuttiness, melon and a touch of lactic.
On the palate, my notes are (in hindsight) rather odd. I would blame me being drunk, but it was only the second wine of the night. It was quite tart and sort of reminded me of a fruit pastel san the sugar – a melon flavoured one, if there is such a thing. Touch (but not too off-puttingly so) of cidery apple on the finish. Couldn’t quite work out whether I liked it or not
Price: £16.95
Wine 3 – Desire Petits Chardonnay Grapiot Sins Sulfites 2020
In theory this is a peak Hugo/hipster wine, with it being a no sulphite number and just left to do it’s own thing in the barrel.
Nice bright golden colour,
which rather went against the oft cloudy end result of the “natural” process being applied
On the nose there was a touch of funky farmyard and I must admit I feared the worse. On the palate I was, however, pleasantly surprise. Touch of (intentional) oxidisation and nuttiness, with the fruit coming through as a sort of sour apple candy number. Bracing acidity made for a refreshing, zingy number. Really prickly on the taste buds.
I quite liked it, much to my surprise, so as a newly fledged hipster I have decided to do my hair in a top knot (people who know me and my volumous head of hair 🙄 will undoubtedly chuckle at that image).
Price: £26
Wine 4 – Les Chassagnes Savagnin, Tony Bornard, 2020
My first time trying Savignin and I was quite impressed.
In the glass, it was rather dull in colour, with a distinct cloudiness.
Really interesting nose, with initial quite aggressive reductive notes (struck match) and then dill, as well as a lingering touch of tomato.
On the palate, it was searingly tart (I love sour, so this was right up my street), with intense citrus (lemon and lime), green apple and a touch of bitter almond.
Fully organic, biodynamic and “natural“, my liking it takes me further down the hipster route. I have now changed my name to Felix and have taken to riding a fixed gear bike.
Price: £55
Face b Savagnin, Les bottes rouge menigoz Côte de Jura, 2017
Another fully biodynamic, natural, wine which I liked a lot less than the previous wine (sorry Hugo, do I have to give the fixed gear bike back?).
Much cleaner colour to that of the previous natural number, this had what I would describe as a bit of a stinky nose. Burgundian farmyard sprung to mind, without the aromatic nuances of the previous wines.
On the palate there was lots of citrus acidity and a touch of florality.
Nothing wrong with it, but much less interesting than the Tony Bornard number.
Price: £43
Wine 6 – Arbois Savignin, Arbois Frutieres, 2018
Described as a sort of demi vin jaune, with it aged for 4- 5 years under a veil of flor yeast – sous voile, this was a super interesting wine. Blind I think I would have thought a dry, biologically aged, sherry, but would have been perplexed by aspects of it.
Lovely clean golden colour to this wine,
with an intriguing, initial quite medicinal, nose than reminded me of a herbal throat lozenge. It became much more yellow apple and nutty as it sat in the glass a while.
On the palate, it had classic manzanilla notes of almond and chamomile, with apple and yeasty notes. Good acidity to this wine, making it very refreshing.
What really differentiated it from a biologically aged sherry/ generosity wine was what felt like a shot of mellowing sweetness and lower alcohol. Really enjoyed this wine and this style of wine making.
Price: £22.50
Wine 7 – Vin Jaune, Arbois Frutieres, 2014
Next up was a full on vin jaune wine, with it being under the veil of flor for longer than the previous wine.
Lovely rich golden hue to this wine, which had a really fino familiar nose tempered by a shot of sweetness.
The nose promised much to a sherry/ generoso wine lover like me and boy did it deliver on the palate.
Walnut and rich pipe tobacco, with a mellow sweetness, despite it being bone dry, and a hint of curry leaf. For a sherry lover like me, it was heavenly stuff.
Fantastic with the Westcombe Dairy Lamyatt (their homage to comte)
and would be stellar paired with the chicken with a morel and vin jaune sauce I had at Noble Rot a while back.
Price: £50
On to the reds after some very interesting whites.
Wine 8 – Côte du Jura Les Cometes, Arbois Frutieres m, 2019
Quite a pale colour in the glass,
with (what I regard as) a classic Burgundy nose of fresh raspberry and strawberry.
On the palate it was a touch medicinal, with that giving way to cranberries and a touch of earthiness. Some tannins evident. Decent, but it all felt a bit boozy.
Price: £16.95
Wine 9 – Ploussard, -Fabrice Dondane, 2020
My first time trying a wine from the ploussard/poulsard grape, with that grape described as a thin skinned red grape known for it zippy and tangy notes.
The colour was very light and quite cloudy
On the nose it was pretty pinot noir -esque with notes of raspberry, strawberry and cranberry. Touch of sweetness, rather than the zippy tanginess I was expecting.
Price: £29
Wine 10 – Ganevat Enfant Terrible, Poulsard Vielles Vignes, 2008
Proper hipster wine this, with low as you can go intervention leaving a cloudy (and lots of floaty bits in it – the technical term😁) colour.
Showing its aged too.
On the nose, I got orange bitters but not much else.
On the palate, it had that funky, scrumpy, taste seemingly beloved by some natural wine advocates, which I just don’t get. Sorry Hugo, the top knot is coming out and I am rolling my trousers back down below my ankles.
It didn’t quite live up to its “terrible” name, just being more an “enfant meh“. Passed it prime, perhaps, as it tasted nothing like the tasting notes I have seen on this wine.
For the price being asked, this was pretty disappointing.
Price: £80+!
Wine 11 – Poulsard, Love Poulsard, No SO2, Arbois Frutieres, 2019
Another poulsard, with this one having a light cherry colour.
On the nose, I got raspberry, strawberry and tangy cherryade.
On the palate, the acidity overpowered the fruit for me, with it all a bit too sharp. It was all a bit thin and weedy too. I didn’t really detect it, but some felt there was a touch of TCA (cork taint).
Contrary to the name of this wine, I didn’t have much love for this poulsard.
Price: £24
Wine 12 – Desire Petit Arbois Trousseau 2022
Light clean colour,
with a pretty neutral, non descript, nose. Maybe a bit of cherry, but all rather nothingy.
On the palate, all I really got was black banana (no one else did, so lord knows where my brain was at, at this point in the proceedings) with it being rather sickly. It showing all its 14.5° didn’t help. Wasn’t keen on this at all.
Price: £24
Wine 13 – Trousseau, Le Gardes corps Arbois Pupillin, Phillips Bornard, 2015
By this point, I was rather despairing of the reds, being in danger of losing all my accured hipster credit from the whites. Was it to be lucky number 13, I pondered as a slug of this was poured into my glass?
Quite cloudy in the glass,
with a nose which was very sour candy in character. My notes has cola cubes in CAPS.
On the palate, the theme continued with zippy cherry and a distinct tanginess. Enjoyed this, although it is far from cheap.
Price: £50+
The verdict
I know some people are all in for iconic wine tastings, but to me these sorts of tasting are the ones that I often most enjoy. Trying new grapes (to me) is all a bit of an adventure, with there always being bumps in the road on the way.
The savignin wines were very much my sort of wines, with the vin jaune ones absolutely wonderfully expressive wines.
The reds were less to my taste, bar from the final trousseau, but that is all part of the fun of a journey of discovery.
My top three wines were as follows:
- Vin jaune, Arbois Frutieres, 2014 (wine 7);
- Arbois Savagnin, Arbois Frutieres, 2018 (wine 6);
- Trousseau Le Gardes corps, Arbois Pupillin, Phillips Bornard, 2015
Wine number 4 – Les Chassagnes Savignin, Tony Bornard, 2020 was a very close 4th scoring the same as the 3rd place Trousseau.
The overall votes of all attending club members was the similiar to mine, but (as per Morecambe and Wise and Andre Previn) not necessarily in the right order:
- Trousseau Le Gardes corps, Arbois Pupillin, Phillips Bornard, 2015 (wine 13);
- Les Chassagnes Savignin, Tony Bornard, 2020 (wine 4)
- Vin jaune, Arbois Frutieres, 2014 (wine 7).
Value wise I would say that wine 6 – Arbois Savagnin, Arbois Frutieres, 2018 – came up trumps
A jolly fine evening was finished off with more wine and a rather good chicken and mushroom pie.
Soliciting Flavours 