Jura Flashcards
Climate
Continental
High rainfall of 1,000mm including sig during growing season
Flowering and fruit set, fungal disease, weeds
Clay soils plus rain make vineyard work hard
Frost risk
Hail
Climate change bringing warmth and sun
Viticulture
Vines on southwest slopes of the Jura mountains b/n 250m and 400m
Clay and marl soils with some limestone
Most are grassed in b/n to limit erosion and herbicide use to just below the vine
Replacement cane at some height above ground to reduce frost risk
VSP to encourage air flow and reduce fungal
Machine harvesting except where slopes are too steep
Yields have been below max recently due to weather issues: frost, hail, heavy rain, drought / extreme heat
23hl/ha in 2017 less than half allowed
20% organic (2x)
Grape Varieties
Chard: 40% mostly Cremant de Jura
Savagnin: white; 20%, makes conventional and oxidative. Early budding (frost), thick skin so resistant to fungal, thrives on steep slopes with marl
Poulsard: black, 15%, early budding (frost), coulure, fungal diseases (thin skin). Ripens early (autumn rain). very pale with low tannin, high acid, low to med alcohol, light body. good to very mid to prem
Pinot Noir: used in blends, cremant, and varietal
Trousseau: black, thick skins (fungal resistant), but prone botrytis bunch rot, poor flowering, coulure. Vigorous, needs a warm site to fully ripen. Planted on warm gravels or on warm lower parts of slopes or higher more exposed. same as Poulsard
Winemaking
Red: Short maceration of 5 - 10 days with temps below 30C. Poussard may be carbonic or semi-carbonic. Some aged in large oak for a few mo’s. Trousseau and Pinot may be kept on the skins for a few mo longer for a more structured wine
Vin Jaune: Ferment Savagnin to dryness then age in barrels with head-space. Thin layer of flor like yeast develops called le voile (the veil). Barrels are not topped up or moved for 6 years. Some are drawn off after 2 - 3 years to make oxidative Savagnin or blend with Chard.
May innoculate or let yeast develop. Barrel location is critical to development. well ventilated with seasonal temp changes. Alcohol raises 1 degree up to 13.5% - 15% due to transpiration
Med lemon to gold, pronounced bread dough, walnuts, ginger, green apple, acidity. dry, high alcohol, med body. good to outstanding prem to super. can age for decades
Vin de Paille: sweet wine made by drying grapes off the vine. All varieties except Pinot. must be >14% alcohol, 70 -120g/l RS, min 18 mo in oak and 3 years aging before release
Appellations
Cremant de Jura
Cotes du Jura: Regional for the whole of Jura. 560ha. All 5 styles (red, rose, white, vin jaune, vin de paille) but mostly white
Arbois: 780ha, all 5 types but majority of red is here
Chateau Chalon: 54ha vin jaune only
L’etoile white only including Jaune and paille; 73ha
Laws and Regulations
White Wine (ex Jaune / Paille): Savagnin and / or Chard min 80% of blend and max 60hl/ha
Red and Rose: Pinot, Poussard, Trousseau must be min 80%; max 55hl/ha
Vin Jaune: Only Savagnin, 60hl/ha. Ch. Chalon is 30hl/ha. Must be under voile for min 60 mo with no racking or topping up. sold from Jan 7 years after harvest. must be bottled in 62cl clavelin bottles.
Vin de Paille: max 20hl/ha
Business
50% private, 30% negotiants, 20% coops.
Three co’s account for 50% of all wine
coop Fruitiere Vinicole d’Arbois, Negociant La Maison de Vigneron, and Henri Marie (owned by Boisset).
Production impacted by vintage variation
