the last word on Jura

@Wink Lorch
Ok, maybe not the LAST word, but it's time to move on. You could spend a lifetime examining and appreciating this tiny region with its idiosyncratic wines, and I'm way too tempted to do just that. Happily, more and more wine bloggers, retailers, sommeliers, educators, etc. are being exposed the awesome quirks and terroir of the Jura. Who knows, maybe Savagnin will be the new Pinot Grigio!

*shudder*...

What's that you say? You've got a fever and the prescription is MORE JURA?!?

Ok, wild (wo)man, I found a fantastic publication about the Jura in the Sommelier's Journal. It includes maps, AOC profiles, the whole shebang.

Dig in.

About as sexy as the Jura gets...

Voluptuous grapes, scantily clad harvesters, sexy lounge music oh my!

In all seriousness, I ran across this sleek little video hosted by Stéphane that tours the Tissot domaine and walks you through their practices. André makes several appearances, as does the future of the Tissot domaine. Learn how to identify and hand-pick Poulsard grapes from one of the best!


You really get a feel for how beautiful the Jura is...you can almost smell the Vin Jaune! Definitely worth checking out, even if (like me) you don't understand very much français!

Tissot

"The industrialization of wine is the end of its identities, its nuances, its characteristics which are part of the magic of a bottle."

Amen.

This, seven lines down, on the homepage of one of Jura's best: Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot (taking the reigns for André & Mireille). According to their website, they practice biodynamically (Demeter-certified) and have been working to change the face of their vineyards since 1995. Low-yields and natural yeasts complete the picture of authenticity.

Unfortunately, their 'Terroir/Vineyards' section (as well as many other parts) of their website is en constrution but if you've had the opportunity to taste through some of the Tissot portfolio, you know these wines speak not only for themselves, but also for their maker and his methods!

Despite a pervasion of organic/biodynamic wines in the market, there still exists a sneaky misconception that these wines are somehow lacking in quality or taste; that somehow practices that respect (and sometimes worship) dirt will taste like it. Producers like Stéphane Tissot are changing that perception by continually producing incredibly complex and tasty wines year after year.

I've really become a great fan of the Tissot domaine, and for me, they have opened a door to other unique, fantastic Jura wines that have inspired the posts below, as well as the whole of this project!

In the mid-Atlantic, Tissot is imported by Thomas Calder Selections. Must...find...local...importer...

case in point: Jura wines

Wedged between Burgundy (Cotes de Beaune) and the Swiss border, the tiny and obscure region of Jura is a treasure hold of funky and nutty wines (seriously, some taste of walnuts).

Six AOC's: Arbois, Chateau-Chalon, l'Etoile, Cotes du Jura, Cremant du Jura, Macvin du Jura.

Arbois is arguably the most famous region, followed by Cotes du Jura. Chateau-Chalon only produces vin jaune (more on that in the next post). l'Etoile is named for tiny star-shaped fossils in the soil (noted by the red star on the label), and very good méthode traditionelle wines comes from the Cremant AOC. Macvin is the newest AOC (circa 1991).

Varietals range from revered native grapes to classic Burgundy numbers.

Red: Poulsard (Ploussard), Trousseau (Trousseau Gris), Pinot Noir
White: Savagnin, Chardonnay

Major Players: Stéphane (Andre et Mireille) Tissot, Jacques Puffeney, Berthet-Bondet, Julien Labet, Henri Maire (ph)*, Pierre Overnoy (ph)

*shorthand - post-humously

Henri Maire & Louis Pasteur?
Pasteur was actually born in Arbois, and the family vineyard on which he experimented is now owned by the Henri Maire domaine. Maire is widely credited for keeping the Jura wine industry afloat with his cheap, prolific line of 'Vin Fou' or 'crazy wine'. Think Georges Duboeuf, for better or for worse.

Check out Peter Liem and Brooklynguy for more Jura-love.

Also, Ms. Mumu puts on quite a show: she has several in-depth posts starting with this one about the Jura, its producers, AOC restrictions, etc. etc. Très organized and a ton of detail for the über-geek.