Freelance writing is a feast-or-famine roller coaster of highs and lows. My job spans the gamut of drink-related assignments – much of it dull, safe and client advertising-driven. Once in a while an editor takes me up on a really cool pitch [all my pitches are cool and edgy by the way] and I get to delve into an infinitely interesting subject and write about it in a generous two thousand word article.

My most recent thrilling quest was a story on oxidative winemaking [to be published in the September issue of Imbibe]. Part of the research for this article was spent dwelling on the Jura. I have always loved an evolved, aged wine that shows hints of oxidation and lately I’ve become obsessed with Jura’s Savagnin and Chardonnay wines that are held in barrel for up to a decade without topping up – hence the extensive exposure to oxygen – to allow a blanket of flor to develop on the surface, giving the wine a savory, yeasty, almost salty tang.

A few weeks before my assignment I attended a tasting where a handful of producers from the Jura were pouring their wines, many of them not yet imported into the States. Here are the highlights.

CAVES JEAN BOURDY
This historical domaine, dating back to the 1500s, owns 10 hectares of vines, practices biodynamics, is judicious with levels of sulfur and uses no new barrels whatsoever. Their mission statement asserts: “We do not propose young and fruity wines or vins de cepage, like the modern trends, but Jura’s wines such as in the past.” Caves Jean Bourdy have wines available from almost every vintage of the 20th century. The 1953 was a treat.

Côtes du Jura Blanc 2005
Salty and manzanilla sherry like.

Côtes du Jura Rouge 2005
Light, earthy, evolved, beautiful nose and almost reminds me of an old Rhone.

Vin Jaune 2001
Very savory, yeasty and salty with a haunting finish.

Chateau Chalone 2002
Salty, mineral, tons of tertiary tastes and aromas.

Vieux Côtes du Jura 1953
Hints of iodine on the nose, mineral, a bit of citrus peel, rancio and umami.

DOMAINE DE LA PINTE
A fairly young domaine in Arbois; their first vintage was 1959. They own twenty hectares of vines and I believe they are imported by Savio Soares – a relatively new importer causing a lot of buzz right now.

Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay 2006
God bless chardonnay from Jura. Good and great Burgundy aside, Jura makes stunning Chardonnay which, in the right laissez-faire hands, can express mineral soils and take on a whole new meaning when it is aged under flor and slightly oxidized. This Chardonnay is super dry, herbaceous, saline and shows no primary fruit character at all.

Arbois Poulsard 2004
Love a good Poulsard, especially this funky number. Aged for two years in large vats. Barnyard, earthy and addictive.

Crémant du Jura
A blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin. Very yeasty from 3 years spent on the lees. Delicious and textured.

DOMAINE LABET
Julien Labet, one of the younger winemakers present, was eager, articulate and generous with his knowledge of Jura. Uses all large oak barrels between 4-10 years old. He poured a lot of Chardonnay, expressing different terroir from various plots and vintages. Fascinating stuff.

Fleur de Chardonnay 2007
Not made in an oxidized style. Tons of mineral – very much reminded me of Chablis. Herbacious – minty hints. Labet explained that the soils for this vineyard are very rocky and hard to dig.

Chardonnay Les Varrons 2006
Made from sixty-five year old vines. Spicy, quite round and full.

Savagnin Vin de Voile
Made from very ripe grapes, barrels not topped up and left sous voile. Exhilarating acidity and a nice salty tang.

DOMAINE ANDRE ET MIREILLE TISSOT
Stephane Tissot makes very delicious wine. He isn’t a staunch traditionalist and he makes a crazy amount of different wines (twenty something diff labels I believe) in all sorts of styles, from fresh and fruity to evolved and oxidized. When I interviewed him for my piece on oxidative winemaking he told me that people often believe that oxidation masks terroir and to prove them wrong he has made three different Vin Jaune wines from three different plots. They will be released in a few years and I truly hope I get to taste them side by side.  For now:

Crémant Blanc
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a bit of Poulsard. Frothy mousse, soft and refreshing: a vin de soif!

Traminer 2007 [Savagnin]
This was my least favorite in his line up but I have to include it here because Tissot described it as his modern wine. It is made with stainless steel. Very fresh, good fruit, hints of white flowers BUT too squeaky clean.

Savagnin 2005
Very sherry-ish, Lovely and much more up my alley.

Poulsard Vielles Vignes 2006
No SO2 added to this wine. Cloudy, prickly, lovely red fruit. Reminds me of Pinot Noir from the Loire.