Here are some notes from tonight’s Jura themed dinner at a local Chinese restaurant in SF. All the wines showed quite well and the food was a good match.
Some interesting takeaways are a confirmation that I prefer Puffeney’s whites of the reds and Ganevat’s whites can be as good as white wine gets. I was also surprised how different the Vin Jaunes showed. One super elegant and subtle with little oxidative notes, the other super intense and forward with lots of oxidation. I loved both. And I have a soft spot for Bruyere-Houillon reds when they are clean (which the 2013 was!)
2020 Domaine Labet Crémant du Jura - France, Jura, Crémant du Jura
Pretty nose with very mineral driven notes, citrus flavors, and a bit of autolytic notes. High acidity with more citrus, lemon, crushed rocks, and good balance on the palate. Nice finish. I enjoyed this quite a bit. The wine has surprising weight on the palate without feeling heavy. Lovely easy drinking sparkling wine. (92 points)
Red Jura with a little bit of age
2009 Jacques Puffeney Poulsard Arbois "M" - France, Jura, Arbois
Nice nose, but feels quite backwards with some strawberry notes, cherries, but overall not showing too much. The palate has a good amount of tannins and not too much fruit with some tertiary notes. Good finish. A well made wine, but perhaps a bit boring and not showing much at all right now. Fell quite short in comparison to the other wines tonight. (90 points)
2013 Renaud Bruyère & Adeline Houillon Arbois - France, Jura, Arbois
Super interesting nose with lots of flora notes, wild strawberries, a good amount of barnyard, but balanced by pretty and pure red fruit flavors. Nice acidity on the palate with berry notes, more barnyard, and a bit of leather. It feels quite subtle and elegant with nice depth. Long finish. A really beautiful wine that has tons of character and unique flavors, but perhaps not everybody's cup of tea. The bretty / barnyard notes did blow off with air and overall it developed beautifully with time in the glass. (95 points)
2013 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiébaud) Arbois Poulsard de Chemenot - France, Jura, Arbois
Fragrant nose with notes of violets, cherries, strawberries, and nice intensity. Good acidity on the palate with similar flavors, fresh berries, and a lovely purity. Nice finish that lingers for quite a while. Gorgeous wine, especially on the nose! (94 points)
Recent vintage from new & interesting producers
2020 Domaine Bienaimé Le Savagnin de Bruno Bienaimé - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Very intense nose with lovely yellow fruit notes, minerals, lemon, and dried flowers. High acidity on the palate with more citrus notes, grapefruit, green apple, and lots of minerals. Nice finish. This was really good and promising! It's still young and has everything to age. Perhaps a bit too much "in-your-face" at the moment (but in a good way). I bet with time it will develop more elegance and tone down a bit overall. 94++ (94 points)
2020 Maison Maenad Côtes du Jura De L'avant - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
This was quite the contrast to the Bienaime. Much more subtle and elegant, it doesn't have the intensity of the Bienaime, but it makes up with complexity and depth. Notes of minerals and citrus dominate. Good acidity on the palate with some floral notes, apple, and orchard fruit. Lovely finish. Lovely wine that had a hard time being poured after the super intense and outgoing Bienaime. It substantially improved with air and probably would have shown even better on its own. (94 points)
2021 Theo Dancer Savagnin Jurassique - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Fragrant nose with orchard fruit, apple, citrus, lemon, and chamomile. Good acidity on the palate with quite a bit of malic character, creamy notes, apples, and citrus flavors. Good finish. Nice wine, but this tasted totally like a Dancer Meursault and has little to do with a Jura Savagnin. (91 points)
Ganevat Chalasses: Chardonnay vs Savagnin
2014 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Marnes Bleues Les Chalasses - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Wow, what an incredible nose! Fragrant and super complex and deep with lots of white flowers, lemon, orchard fruit, and intensity. High acidity on the palate with lemon and lime driven flavors, and crushed rocks. It's continuously changing and evolving with air and shows very precise and complex flavors. Long finish. Absolutely fantastic wine, what an experience! Probably the best Marnes Bleues I've had and actually very close in quality to the Vignes de mon pere... (97 points)
2014 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Vieilles Vignes Les Chalasses - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Pretty nose with floral notes, yellow fruit, and some riper notes of peach and nectarine. High acidity on the palate with much fresher and tarter flavors compared to the nose with lots of lemon juice and zest with minerals intertwined. Nice finish. Lovely wine and super delicious but a noticeable step down from the Marnes Bleues tonight. (94 points)
2016 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Vieilles Vignes Les Chalasses - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Lovely nose with lots of minerals, tart peach, a hint of tropical fruit, and some dry extract. Nice acidity on the palate with more mineral notes, chalk, lemon zest, and lime. Nice finish that lingers. I really enjoyed this wine, it's beautiful and complex yet still quite young. I would hold this for at least 5+ years. 94-95+ (95 points)
Vin Jaune
1996 Domaine Macle Château-Chalon - France, Jura, Château-Chalon
Beautiful and complex nose with orchard fruit, hazelnut, lemon, and hay. Great acidity on the palate with great precision, more lemon notes, some nutty flavors, and sherry notes. Long finish. Outstanding wine! This is very complex and beautiful and should actually continue to improve with age. It's very elegant and surprisingly shows quite little oxidative character, compared to other Vin Jaune and especially compared to the 2005 Puffeney next to it. (96 points)
2005 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Vin Jaune - France, Jura, Arbois
Very intense nose with strong oxidative character, sherry notes, lots of nuts, almonds, and citrus notes. Nice acidity on the palate with more oxidative notes, lemon, orange, hay, apple, and more nuts. Long finish. This is a great wine that needs a lot of time. A sledgehammer compared to the subtle and delicate 1996 Macle. (95 points)
Nice work. Some real nuggets in that lineup. I don’t drink Jura much anymore, but would love to calibrate at tasting like this one. Thanks for the notes!
Andy’s notes are pretty much spot-on, however I was less enamored of the Dancer Savagnin. To me, it tasted like generic white wine. I didn’t get any sense of varietal character from it.
That came from my cellar. I got on board when the US importer first started bringing it in. A friend, who at the time was a silent partner with that importer, told me to buy as much Cavarodes as I could afford. I wish I had bought more! I’m down to my last 3 bottles from the 2010 vintage and have drunk all my 08s and 09s.
Terrific night - the food was awesome too. Didn’t get any pictures, but a fried whole chicken, deboned and stuffed with glutinous rice stole the show.
My palate and @AndyK are almost always very closely aligned, with us independently coming up within a point of each other on the vast majority of wines. The Jura reds were the first time we were on the opposite ends of the spectrum - especially the Bruyere. It’s ok, no one’s perfect, not even Andy.
2020 Domaine Labet Crémant du Jura - France, Jura, Crémant du Jura
It says 2020 on the bottle; unclear if that's base or disgorgement; I assume base? At any rate, this was a lovely aperitif to awaken the senses, snap the palate into focus. Easy to spot as not Champagne, medium-light weight in body and with linear focus, but outsized intensity of mineral and lemon. Supremely chalky, with some dabs of green apple and a bit of smoky reduction. Very precise and delicious, and while it's evident this is zero dosage wine, it doesn't come across as austere. (92 points)
the Red and the Brett
2009 Jacques Puffeney Poulsard Arbois "M" - France, Jura, Arbois
Lovely on the nose. Delicate, very floral, undertones of unripe strawberry and cherry. Palate is still fresh and vibrant, squeaky clean, and seems a fair bit younger than its 16 years to me; not a lot of depth but still very enjoyable; a wonderful partner for the roast squab, and definitely a food wine. (91 points)
2013 Renaud Bruyère & Adeline Houillon Arbois - France, Jura, Arbois
Brett city at first. Seemed more advanced that the other two reds, still some ethereal cherry and unripe strawberry fruit, tertiary notes of tea and leather sofa; a cooling almost menthol-like note. A quieter wine, lacks a bit of intensity, and ultimately, unbalanced by the brett. Mind you, I enjoy a healthy dollop of brett in my Baudry or Beaucastel, but I felt this wasn't sturdy enough to handle it. A polarizing wine, and my least favorite of the night. I should have revisited but was already way over my limit & my palate was blown by the vin jaune; I did smell Andy's glass and it seemed the brett had largely blown off showing the purer cherry fruit underneath... so, 88 for my first impression, but possibly underscoring. (88 points)
2013 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiébaud) Arbois Poulsard de Chemenot - France, Jura, Arbois
Terrific nose, full of macerated red fruit and flowers, high-toned with a touch of VA, but all within balance. Juicy acidity on the palate, with delicate fruit and savory minerals, starting to show a bit of leather and sous bois. Nice persistence on the finish - my favorite of the 3 reds. (92 points)
Young and Ouillé-y
2020 Domaine Bienaimé Le Savagnin de Bruno Bienaimé - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
A powerhouse of a wine. The nose hits with a blast of crushed rock and lemon, smoky reduction. Same on the palate - terrific concentration with lemon, lemon confit, green apples, and mostly a truckload of minerals. Intense acidity snaps everything into focus. Very showy and needs time to calm down a bit, but brimming with potential. Savagnin is such an underrated grape. 93++ (93 points)
2020 Maison Maenad Côtes du Jura De L'avant - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
So refined and introspective, a wine that demands focus and attention. The experience of tasting this immediately after the Bienaime was like listening to a Brahms intermezzo after the White Stripes; outshouted and a bit neutral, maybe even wan. There's no flash, but once you let it envelope your taste buds, you start to marvel at the intricacy, the layers that play off one another, the interplay of the citrus and the orchard fruit, the delineation of citrus into aromatic pomelo and zesty yuzu; the juicy acidity that propels the palate forward while the mineral structure holds it back. The finish reverberates quietly for a long time. Wasn't helped by the delicious but brassy Cantonese fare, and deserves to be contemplated over a quiet dinner with some classic bathed-in-cream French fare, maybe quenelle de brochet or blanquette de veau. 94+ (94 points)
2021 Theo Dancer Savagnin Jurassique - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Smells like Savagnin, tastes like Burgundy! Effusive nose, if not dialed up to 11 like the Bienaime, with lemon, lemon curd, and green apples. Seamless acidity and texture, with fine chalk and slightly savory minerals. More Puligny than Meursault to me, with beautiful linear cut and balance (but I haven't had a Dancer Meursault, so what do I know!) (92 points)
Ganevat, glory and gummi bears
2014 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Marnes Bleues Les Chalasses - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Incredible nose, with all of the intensity of the Bienaime but so much more focused and elegant. I gasped loudly when I took the first sip and Andy whips his head around and says "Marnes Bleues?" with a grin. Holy moly, this is SO good. This is the complete package of power and grace, with a crystalline structure, a laser beam of acid, a kaleidoscope of flavors shifting and sparkling, a dozen forms of lemon - juiced, fresh peel, candied peel, salty preserved, meyer; Thai toasted rice powder, jasmine aromas around the edges. If this is my white WOTY, I would hardly be disappointed. (97 points)
2014 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Vieilles Vignes Les Chalasses - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Very clear resemblance to the '16, with the same identifiable pineapple Haribo gummi bear note, but lighter; this just lacks the extra gear of amplitude and complexity possessed by the '16. 93-94 (93 points)
2016 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Vieilles Vignes Les Chalasses - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
A bit reduced at first, but fans out into an amazing array of flavors, the most notable of which is a distinct Pineapple Haribo gummibärchen note, almost magically so, delightful and surprising; around which are lemon and peach, chalk and savory minerals. Great length and clean finish; even if it isn't the magic carpet ride of the Marnes Bleues, it's an outstanding wine in its own right. So moreish and a wine I could drink a lot of. (95 points)
Vin Jaune, vin jeune
1996 Domaine Macle Château-Chalon - France, Jura, Château-Chalon
The oldest vin jaune I've tried to date, and what a special treat. Fino-like nose, but so much more elegant and pure, without any burn of alcohol. Palate is precise, intense, and elegant. Salty minerals flowing through a field of hay, with lemons, green apples, flowering quince. Some chamomile and curry leaf around the edges. This is perhaps the least oxidative Vin Jaune I've had. Amazing that this is 13.3% alcohol - it has so much packed in it. Loved this so much. (96 points)
2005 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Vin Jaune - France, Jura, Arbois
Wham! I've had younger Puffeney vin jaune several times, and they've all been intense, almost painfully so. Despite being 20 years old, this is pretty much the same. Not budging much on the palate at first, but giving it time to roll around the tongue, and it starts to reveal itself, coconut and almond woven through layers of citrus and dried fruit, minerals galore; a crazy intense Palo Cortado like finish that goes on for minutes; both great because it's a flavor I love, but also blows out the palate and makes it difficult to taste anything else afterwards. Smart that this was served last. This is still too young to fully enjoy, but I can imagine it being even better (but different) than the Macle in another 20 years. (94 points)
Hehe, it seems I liked it a lot more than both of you. I love that Savagnin has a wide range of expresion with different hands and different soils. It deserve to be planted and consumed much, much more; it’s really is one of the great white grapes.
Thank you for the very detailed notes. I’d love to attend a Jura tasting like this; what an incredible opportunity to taste such breadth and serious wines.
Lucky you! I’ve also been hoarding Ostrea Virgula, Guille Buoton and Savagnin Presse in the past years. I’ve run into quite some mousy reds(2017 and onwards), so I don’t buy them anymore. I however feel like the reds are contenders for the longest-living Jura reds when it’s on —
If in 10 years I see a 2010 poulsard from Tissot and Cavarodes on auction, I know which one I’ll pick!
great lineup! i have never found the bruyere houillon reds to age very well. i totally get vince’s perception of the brett overwhelming the wine. the bottle tasted here appears to be the blend with some trousseau?
there definitely needs to be more events like this; i have a lot of well aged ganevat of both colors in large format and need an excuse to open some!
The Bruyere was definitely a bit polarizing. For some it was one of the best wines, for Vince it wasn‘t
And yes, it was a 50/50 blend of Poulsard and Trousseau.
Ganevat’s reds can be quite good, especially with age, despite of what some people say. I had the 2005 and 2009 Julien last year and both showed very well. Bring them so SF and we’ll put a dinner together
