2010 Jean Francois Ganevat Cotes du Jura ‘Les Chalasses Vieilles Vignes’
The restaurant sommelier mentioned that this is 100% chardonnay.
Lively, flowery and ripe fruit bouquet.
Refreshing, very refreshing, with white fruit cool-mouthfeel ripeness. All smoothness and finesse such that it left me wanting for some of that acidic, rustic and earthy notes that I’ve experienced with the few Jura whites that I’ve had before. I almost want this to show more than the little it showed tonight in terms of oxidative quality. B
I liked this a lot more than you. I don’t know whether there is such a thing as a typical Côtes du Jura, but by itself it was by some margin the best Chardonnay I ever drank outside of Burgundy. It may however, have shut down somewhat since I drank it in the spring.
I am finding that with Ganevat’s 2010 ouille whites, such as this one, an hour in a decanter does wonders for bringing out the acidic cut and focus to balance the other good stuff within. That said, I don’t think this was a great vintage for this particular cuvee and I am not cellaring any. But try the same wine from 2008 if you can - it’s amazing.
ETA: By the way, Ramon, this cuvee is made in the ouille style, meaning that the barrels are topped up as wine evaporates. So it is not meant to be oxidative in style.
Michael: Thank you added information. Perhaps, I just don’t have sufficient experience with Ganevat’s wines, but I thought that only his Savagnin-based whites are made in the ouille style.
He makes a very wide range of wines, so it is possible that I will be proven wrong, but my understanding is in fact the opposite: all of his 100% Chardonnay wines (or Melon-que-rouge, which is a variant of Chardonnay) are ouille. Some of the Savagnin wines are also ouille, but I believe the only sous voile wines are Savagnin or a blend of Savagnin/Chardonnay. The Cuvee Prestige, for example, is Savagnin that was destined to be Vin Jaune but was declassified for one reason or another. And then there is of course the Vin Jaune itself. Those are all Savagnin.
Thank you gentlement, for the added information on Ganevat.
I’ll likely purchase a bottle of the 2010 Las Chalasses VV, once I find a reasonable source, just to for the opportunity of re-tasting.