The first step in evaluating any wine is its appearance, but as you’ve likely experienced, looks can be deceiving.
The average current-release Barolo, for example, is lightly colored and even mature-looking, which might fool you into thinking it’s a ‘light’ red—until you take a sip and its tannic brawn, full body, and ample alcohol come on like a freight train. Conversely, you might look at a warm-vintage bottling of Gamay from Beaujolais—which can get inky and opaque —and think you’re getting a monolith rather than the soft, easy-drinking, low-alcohol refresher the wine turns out to be. Pour today’s red from the Jura and you might be thinking you purchased a dark rosé by mistake, until you taste it and its considerable depth and persistence sets you straight. Yes, this 2015 Ploussard from the Jura is a lightweight red, but only in the sense of its physical dimensions—flavor-wise it is downright powerful, lodging itself in your memory in a way that simpler reds do not. The mix of wild berries-off-the-bush fruit and stony, almost smoky minerality is a trademark of this native grape, which is rarely if ever seen outside the Jura; it is really the perfect vinous ‘ambassador’ to this quirky, remote, sparsely populated place. Reds from the Jura are getting a massive amount of attention from the press and when you taste this you will stop wondering why. They are half the price of serious Burgundy yet strike a similar chord. If you’re already acquainted with Ploussard, I’m certain you need no convincing; if this is your first taste, trust me when I say it won’t be your last!