Jura Spectacular!

As for many, Jura is a region that we have been enchanted by ever since our first taste, a love affair that was cemented with out first Percée du Vin Jaune and visit to the region a decade ago. Tucked away in the far east of France, Jura feels the like the land that time forgot, with a beguiling combination of ancient terroir (the term Jurassic stems from here), unique grape varieties, and highly idiosyncratic winemaking techniques and rituals. Throw in the fact that Jura has the highest proportion of organic viticulture of any region in France (over 50%) and it's easy to see why it has become the darling of the natural wine scene in recent decades.

Yet despite it's growing reputation, Jura remains tiny: less than half a percent of France's total production and one-sixth the size of neighbouring Burgundy; Chablis alone has a greater output than all of Jura. With this in mind we are delighted to have received our allocations from some of the most highly regarded and sought after growers in the region, including some truly special cuvées from Les Dolomies, Valentin Morel, Lucien Aviet, Domaine de l'Octavin and Domaine de la Borde.

Les Dolomies is the winemaking project of Céline and Steve Gormally. Having been trained at the Domaines Labet, Badoz, and St-Pierre, they bring a wealth of experience to their tiny plots in Passenans, Jura, from which they make otherworldly Jura wines combining both elegance and power. Wild yeast fermentation and bottling without fining or filtration have always been the norm here, and from 2020 no sulphur was used during vinification and ageing.

Les Dolomies Savagnin 'Arco' (£55): Savagnin from 35 year old vines on stony marls in Nevy-sur-Seille lieu-dit La Chaux. Arco is the name of one of the two donkeys that help the team during harvest on this particularly rocky and steep slope. A sensational wine expressing a razor cut acidity and vibrant citrus flavours, with bitters and an intense mineral, saline impression on the finish.

Les Dolomies Savagnin 'Croix Sarrant' (£55): Croix Sarrant is a tiny 20 year old 0.3 hectare vineyard in Château-Chalon on stony limestone-rich marl. Taken over in 2012 the vines have never seen any chemicals, they are ploughed by horse, and the only two neighbours are vignerons friends sharing the same sustainable approach. Packed with jolting acidity and a dense texture it is reminiscent of a perfectly ripe apricot with salivating bitters, vanilla bean and fresh almond aromas sustaining a lengthy finish.

Les Dolomies Savagnin 'Les Grandvaux' (£58): Located in Passenans, the combe des Grandvaux is adjacent to and as top quality as the terroir Les Combes in which Les Dolomies grows Chardonnay. Naturally low yielding 50 year old vines grow on brown and red marls, giving a tightly wound, dense wine with lip-smacking spicy flavours, and a chalky almost chewy finish.

Les Dolomies Chardonnay 'Les Combes' (£40): Les Combes is a stunning plot with heavy and clayey red marlstone. As with most of the vines in Passenans, they were replanted in the 60s – relatively old vines that yield fruits of great depth and intensity. Aged two-thirds in concrete vats and one-third in old barrels, this is a classy Chardonnay that combines power and elegance with a depth of flavours that would make some top Burgundy producers envious.

Les Dolomies Bordel C'est Bon Trousseau (£46): The wine and label are a tribute to a close friend Gabi who passed away and was a successful cartoonist for the newspapers Le Monde and Le Canard Enchainé. Gabi's line 'bordel c’est bon' can be translated into 'god that's good' (polite version), and indeed it is! The grapes come from Les Combes, fully destemmed and vinified without SO2, this is juicy and joyful with a lovely peppery black fruit.

Valentin Morel originally trained in international law before being bitten by the wine bug and moving to the Alsace to learn winemaking under the influence of the legendary Pierre Frick, among others.

He returned to the Jura in 2014 and today looks after 6 hectares of 40-45 year old vines: Chardonnay and Savagnin for the white grapes, Pinot, Trousseau and Poulsard for reds. The soils here are typically Jurassic and Valentin works with minimal intervention in the cellar, the natural consequence of his desire to make 'true wines' that do not need any additions.

Valentin Morel Chardonnay 'Saint Savin' (£57): Saint Savin comes from vines over 40 years old, organically farmed on limestone scree of the Bathonian in the Poligny area of the Côtes du Jura. Beautiful complexity on the nose and palate with crisp, searing fruit and chalky minerality typical of this terroir. Round and tense on the palate, with a floral lift of white flowers and a a satisfying dried fruit finish.

Valentin Morel Chardonnay 'Les Trouillots' (£57): Chardonnay from the prime south facing Les Trouillots vineyard planted in 1980 in a mix of gray marl and limestone scree. Direct pressed and aged for 12 months in old oak barrels before bottling without sulphur or other additions, this is an exemplary Jura Chardonnay with stunning finesse and precision.

Valentin Morel Trousseau 'Les Trouillots' (£57): This is Valentin's scintillating Trousseau from the same parcel as his Les Trouillots Chardonnay. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed, and pressed directly to tank to ferment with indigenous yeasts. A ripe and smooth style of Trousseau with herb-inflected blackberry and black cherry fruit, luxurious texture and deceptive power.

Valentin Morel Poulsard 'Bois d'Arnaux' (£57): Bois d'Arnaux is a younger plot planted by Valentin with massale selection cuttings from Philippe Bornard for the Poulsard, and Savagnin from Julien Labet. Spicy cherries with hints of undergrowth and wild herbs on the nose. Juicy and invigorating on the palate with typically light Poulsard tannins, fine cranberry acidity a lovely crystalline red fruit. 

Returning from the Algerian war in 1960 when many growers in the region opted to plant Chardonnay, Lucien Aviet went against the trend by planting mainly Trousseau à La Dame (an old low-yielding strain) and some Savagnin from excellent rootstock. His hunch paid off and the Aviet domaine, now run by Lucien's son Vincent, is renowned for producing some of the the finest Trousseau in the whole Jura as well as superlative whites, in both the oxidative and ouille (topped up) styles.

Lucien Aviet Melon à Queue Rouge (£48): This is a rare example of Melon à Queue Rouge, an ancient strain of Chardonnay (here from 50 year old vines) grown by only three top producers in Arbois and Montigny. Aged in old foudres for 18 months and topped up, this has a pale gold colour with a mouthfeel of fine white Burgundy, restrained citrus fruit and spice aromas and a very saline finish.

Lucien Aviet Savagnin Reserve de Caveau (£69): Given just as long barrel ageing (over six years) under voile, this is essentially a vin jaune in disguise. More restrained, with a little less power than the Aviet vin jaune but with just as much class, this has a silkier mouthfeel and is easier to drink and perhaps more versatile with food. Notably truffle-y and walnut-y, with a saline cut and a finish that goes on and on.

Lucien Aviet Trousseau Cuvée des Geologues (£46): A blend of the two parcels Rosière and Ruzard which also get bottled separately. Both are south-facing vineyards in Montigny-les-Arsures with similar terroir: light, gravelly soil with 'argile à chailles' (flinty clay) – Trousseau's most suited type of soil. Altogether the vines range from 10 to 60 years old. This 2020 has a delicate, mid-red colour, refreshing red cherry and cranberry fruit with real purity of expression and a mineral stamp.

Lucien Aviet Trousseau 'Rosière (£50): Rosière is the top Trousseau from Aviet: rich, spicy and impressively structured with dense black plum and black cherry fruit lifted by a fragrant dusting of black pepper and violets. Full for Trousseau on the palate with more dark fruit, mouth-filling texture and a thirst-quenching bitter quality on the finish.