Traditional Côtes du Jura Chardonnay matured sous voile (under flor) for around 18 months, giving nutty, saline complexity over a fresh, textural palate.
Organic grapes were hand harvested and spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeast in old oak barrels that were not topped up. This encouraged the growth of a layer of Voile (like flor in the wines Jerez) which the wine was aged under for 18 months. Bottled with no filtration or fining and just a touch of sulphur. This is a classic Sous Voile style Chardonnay from Jura. Rich and nutty it is crying out for Comte cheese or some rich creamy mushroom sauce.
Notes on the producer
Les Granges-Bernard is a wonderful old Jurassien farm surrounded by pastures on the plateau behind Menétru, and it is here that Marie-Pierre Chevassu-Fassenet was brought up with her three sisters. Her mother Marie came from a family of vignerons and her father Denis farmed mainly cows. He took on some vineyards in the 1980s and, as all his daughters enjoyed helping, he expanded the business and started making and selling wine. Marie-Pierre chose a career in wine and after wine studies in Beaune and an oenology degree at Dijon she worked in New Zealand, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Champagne before returning to work in the Jura for several years as cellar manager at La Maison du Vigneron [the largest négociant in the Jura]. She took over the wine estate in 2008, whilst one of her sisters runs the farm.
