FRENCH WINE

A blend of two vintages 2016 Chardonnay, aged 2 years in barrel 2017 Aligoté, aged 1 year in barrel

BIODYNAMIC - NATURAL WINE

White wine. Arbois Pupillin, Jura, France. Organic. 100% Chardonnay. Single vineyard chardonnay from le Grapiot. The vines are all planted on marne gris soil. The wine is made in new foudre with minimal intervention, indigenous yeast fermentations and no added sulfer. Look for a linear minerality with flavors of yellow orchard fruit all well framed by the oak. The acidity helps to balance out the wood tannins. Try this with seared or grilled scallops with brown butter.

SANS SULFITES
Biodynamic. 100% Ploussard. The nose is pure blood orange and dried roses, with an herbal-balsamic edge (pine needles) and an animal hint. The palate is very light, ethereal and quite acidic with some fine tannins towards the end, as well as a clear volatile twist that lifts the wine up. This is a light and refreshing red.

Guillaume D'Angerville became obsessed with the Jura after a sommelier in Paris poured him a glass of Tissot Chardonnay blind and he was very impressed, believing that it was a Burgundy. This sent him off on a five year search to find a choice location in the Jura. He consulted with a well-known geologist to find ideal vineyards. In the end, he and Francois Duvivier purchased two domaines, one with well tended vines and another where the vineyards were in need of some rehabilitation. At Chateau Chavanes in Montigny-les-Arsures, they created a state of the art winery surrounded by 5 hectares of biodynamically farmed vines that had been impeccably replanted 10 years prior by former owner Francois de Chavanes. The domaine is supported by an additional 5 hectares of chemically-free vines formerly farmed by Jean-Marc Brignot at a site of high-quality geology and exposure. He named it Domaine du Pélican, a reference to the pelican on the crest of the city of Arbois. All of Pélican's wines are currently made in a topped up, non-oxidative style.

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "There’s lovely ripeness at the center of this wine, a blend of pinot noir, trousseau and poulsard. It tastes of glistening red berries, the texture supple and the finish clean. But it takes a little while to get there, as the wine starts out with some funkiness, needing air to settle in. Give it an hour in a decanter to serve with roast squab."

The Wine Advocate: “A white I had not encountered for a while made its comeback in the 2016 Côtes du Jura Cuvée Oregane, a blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin from vines planted in 1963 and 1969 that often has an herbal, oregano-like nose (hence its name)

BIODYNAMIC

Jean-François Ganevat is a master of his craft, one of the true magicians of the eclectic. To say that his grapes are spun A "sélections des grains nobles" of Savagnin though SGN is not officially recognized in the Jura o 250 grams RS

To find the estate one needs to venture far from the one paved road of the region, and a good 4x4 vehicle is essential. The founder, Christian Giacometti, has gradually been handing over the reins to his daughter Sarah and son Simon after 25 years of constant and heroic labor to make wine in an inhospitable land. The kids are all right, as they say, continuing on with their unique and eminently drinkable style of Patrimonio, all the while experimenting with Sciaccarellu plantings (extremely rare for Patrimonio) and offering a glimpse of great things to come.

This red is the Giacomettis’ pure Sciaccarellu cuvée from the arid granite of the Agriate where they live, west of Patrimonio along the sea. It brings a lot of voluptuousness and hedonistic pleasure to the normally reserved, fresh crunch of the Sciaccarellu grape. As the label implies, it is quite simply a feel-good wine. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tank, not filtered.

La Combe; a tiny hamlet above the village of Rotalier is home to the larger-than-life “Fan Fan” Jean-François Ganevat. Jean-François came back to run the family estate in 1998 after ten years working Burgundy and he combines his passion for the Jura terroir – here ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - with a staunch defence of Burgundian techniques; low yields and most recently biodynamic methods for which he has now gained Demeter certification.

This rich and vibrant Chardonnay hails from 80-year-old vines in the Côtes du Jura and ages for three years on its fine lees in large barrels. Notes of yellow apple skin, tart pears, flint, and a touch of honey dominate the wine’s energetic palate. This is natural Chard in one of our favorite forms.
BIODYNAMIC, ORGANIC

Chateau Chalon is one of the legendary appellations of the Jura. Driving in off the Saone plain and through old industrial towns the land takes a sharp jump in elevation and a scenic view of limestone cliffs that the village of Chateau Chalon rests on. There are many ancient towns in France with almost unbearable charm and Château Chalon is in position for the number one position.

While the wines labeled as Châton Chalon are one of the many great triumphs of French wine antiquity, the wines are rare and make up a very small portion of what Jean-Claude Credoz’s production.

Jean-Claude Credoz is one lucky man. Not only because he lives in such an absurdly beautiful place but because he is one of the largest landowners on the infamous appellation of Château Chalon, with almost five hectares of vines. The domaine flirts with organic and biodynamic methods but have not committed to restraints they bring; Jean-Claude prefers to be flexible when he needs to be, especially concerning the use of copper and sulfur sprays in the vineyards. Vin de Paille is the French for "straw wine", made only in the ripest vintages. Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The classic method dries clusters of grapes on mats of straw in the sun, but some regions dry them under cover, on roofs, or on modern racks, while some hang up the grapes or leave them to dry on the vine.

Full body, Rustic, Spicy, Sweet

WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "A new Savagnin bottling, the very young 2017 L'Etoile Savagnin Ouillé Les Budes fermented and aged in 500-liter topped-up barrels, a style that has never been produced at Montbourgeau before. This wine was produced by the son of Nicole Deriaux when he joined the family domaine. It's subtle, mineral and elegant, focused and clean, with floral notes and a soft, round palate. The acidity is neatly integrated into the wine, and it reminds me of some of the wines from Ganevat, with energy and concentration but apparently light on its feet. This is a superb effort for a style they have never produced before."

Domaine de Montbourgeau has produced traditional Jura wines since Victor Gros, the grandfather of current Vigneronne, Nicole Deriaux, first planted the estate’s vineyards in 1920.The domaine’s nine hectares are devoted mostly to Chardonnay with Savagnin sited in 1.7 of those hectares; some Trousseau and Poulsard round out the plantings. The viticulture is organic and the vinification is strictly traditional respecting, in all aspects, the ancient practices of this region. Nicole Deriaux’s natural approach to every step of the process captures the true essence of the Etoile appellation in each of the separate bottlings done at the domaine.The white wines are aged in barrel; they are never racked; they are not topped off. The very special nature of the appellation of L’Etoile produces white wines of exceptional finesse and complexity.

He named it Domaine du Pélican, a reference to the pelican on the crest of the city of Arbois. All of Pélican's wines are currently made in a topped up, non-oxidative style. For all of its wines, Jura favors a traditional, natural and often organic style in viticulture and winemaking.

Light in body yet intensely perfumed, the rare Poulsard grape here gives a supple-textured wine full of red berry fruit alongside some earthy-animal complexity.

"Redcurrant and cherry, with a hint of hibiscus on the nose. Light and precise, with cherry complemented by floral and spice flavors. A delightful and lively Poulsard." - Skurnik Imports

Domaine Rolet, founded in the early 1940s, is Jura's largest family-owned estate. The second generation-four siblings-now run the show: Bernard and Guy look after the sixty hectares of vines as well as the winemaking, while Pierre and Eliane handle the commercial side. The vines are 50+ years old, the yields low, and the vinification meticulous, leading to brilliant, precise expressions of Jura's distinctive wine styles. Vineyard The grapes were harvested by hand from vines aged thirty-five to forty-five, planted on red marl soils in the communes of Montigny and Arbois. The grapes were sorted and crushed, then fermented with indigenous yeast for around three weeks in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged in large, used casks ("foudre") for fifteen months.

BIODYNAMIC

An attempt to achieve the maximum expression of those terroirs : our 35 hectares of vineyards are cultivated in bio-dynamic viticulture (certified by Demeter) to allow the soils to live, to have grapes untouched by chemical products, to allow natural yeast fermentations, to reduce the doses of sulfur in the cellar. The Chardonnay barrels are kept topped up, but even so the wines tend to offer a hint of the same nutty character on top of the more classic outline of the Chardonnay grape.

Stéphane’s non-oxidative rendition of the Savagnin grape bears the name Traminer – a common synonym, which flags its relationship to Gewürztraminer (which may have mutated from Traminer/Savagnin). Complex and powerful, herbal and musky notes are backed up by waves of super-ripe citrus and orchard fruit.

Tissot is from an old Jura family (there are enough Tissots in the Jura to keep a genealogist busy for years) and has turned his family’s property into both one of the region’s most dynamic presences—biodynamics, amphorae, all the usual shiny things—as well as one of its bigger landholders, with more than 50 hectares.

The Chardonnay barrels are kept topped up, but even so the wines tend to offer a hint of the same nutty character on top of the more classic outline of the Chardonnay grape. Stéphane Tissot is a leading grower in the wine appellation of Arbois , where he farms his vineyards biodynamicallY.